LIBRAK 1 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


Perpetual  Motion 


Comprising  a  History  of  the  Efforts  to  Attain 
Self-Motive  Mechanism  with  a  Classified, 
ILLUSTRATED  Collection  and  Explanation 
of  the  Devices  Whereby  it  Has  Been  Sought 
and  Why  They  Failed,  and  Comprising  Also  a 
Revision  and  Re- Arrangement  of  the  Informa- 
tion Afforded  by  "Search  for  Self -Motive 
Power  During  The  17th,  18th  and  19th 
Centuries,"  London,  1861,  and  "A  History 
of  the  Search  for  Self-Motive  Power  from 
the  13th  to  The  19th  Century,"  London, 
1870,  by  Henry  Dircks,  C.  E.,  LL.  D.,  Etc. 


BY 

PERCY  VERANCE 


Copyright 
By 
20th    Century    Enlightenment    Specialty    Co, 


CONTENTS 

For  Summarized  Table  of  Contents,  see  page  358  et  seq. 

Page 

Introduction 3 

Preface 7-10 

Introductory  Essay 11-21 

CHAPTER  I. 
"Devices  by  Means  of  Wheels  and  Weights 22-67 

CHAPTER  II. 

Devices  by  Means  of  Rolling  Weights  and  Inclined 

Planes 68-75 

CHAPTER  III. 
Hydraulic  and  Hydro-Mechanical  Devices 76-117 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Pneumatic  Siphon  and  Hydro-Pneumatic  Devices.  118-162 

CHAPTER  V. 
Magnetic  Devices 163-174 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Devices  Utilizing  Capillary  Attraction  and  Physical 

Affinity  175-194 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Liquid  Air  as  a  Means  of  Perpetual  Motion 195-196 


6  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Page 
Radium  and  Radio- Active  Substances  Considered 

as  a  Conceived  Source  of  Perpetual  Motion..  197-199 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Perpetual  Motion  Devices  Attempting  Its  Attain- 
ment by  a  Misconception  of  the  Relation  of 
Momentum  and  Energy 200-21 1 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  Alleged  Inventions  of  Edward  Sommerset, 
Sixth  Earl  and  Second  Marquis  of  Worces- 
ter, and  of  Jean  Ernest  Eli-Bessler  (Coun- 
cillor) Orffyreus 212-255 

CHAPTER  XL 

Conservation  of  Energy.  A  Discussion  of  the 
Relation  of  the  Doctrine  of  Conservation  of 
Energy,  and  the  Possibility  of  Perpetual  Mo- 
tion   256-269 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Will  Perpetual  Motion  Ever  Be  Accomplished? 
A  Discussion  by  the  Author,  with  a  Review 
of  the  Opinions  of  Eminent  Scientists  on  the 
Subject  270-357 


PREFACE. 

The  author  has  no  apology  to  offer  for  the 
production  of  this  book.  He  has  spent  his  life 
in  environments  that  have  brought  him  into 
constant  contact  with  mechanics,  artisans  and 
laborers  as  well  as  professional  men,  engineers, 
chemists  and  technical  experts  of  various  types. 
He  knows  a  great  many  men — young  men,  for 
the  most  part — are  constantly  working  on  the 
old,  old  problem  of  Perpetual  Motion;  that 
much  money,  and  much  time  are  being  spent  in 
search  of  a  solution  for  that  problem  which  all 
scientific  and  technical  men  tell  us  is  impossible 
of  solution. 

It  is  believed  by  the  author  that  a  classifi- 
cation and  presentation  of  selected  groups  of 
the  devices  produced  in  the  past  by  which  it  was 
by  the  inventor  believed,  self-motive  power  had 
been  attained,  will  save  much  work  in  fields 
already  thoroughly  exploited. 

So  far  as  the  author  knows  no  book  on  the 
subject  has  appeared  since  1870.  The  various 
encyclopedias  published  contain  articles  on  the 
subject,  but  they  are  necessarily  brief,  and  not 
satisfying  to  young  men  who  have  become  in- 
terested in  the  subject. 

In  1861,  Henry  Dircks,  a  civil  engineer,  of 


8  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

London,  published  a  work  entitled  "Perpetuum 
Mobile;  or,  Search  for  Self-Motive  Power,  Dur- 
ing the  Seventeenth,  Eighteenth  and  Nine- 
teenth Centuries."  The  book  contains  599 
pages,  and  was  followed  in  1870,  by  a  second 
series  by  the  same  author  entitled  "Perpetuum 
Mobile,  or  a  History  of  the  Search  for  Self- 
Motive  Power  from  the  Thirteenth,  to  the 
Nineteenth  Century/'  In  these  two  books 
there  is  amassed  a  wonderful  amount  of  ma- 
terial showing  on  the  part  of  the  author  dili- 
gence, great  patience  and  wide  and  thorough 
search. 

The  author  of  these  works  was  not  en- 
amoured of  his  subject,  and  his  books  clearly 
show  that  he  was  not  writing  them  because  of 
any  interest  he  had  in  the  subject  of  Perpetual 
Motion.  On  the  contrary,  they  appear  to  have 
been  written  because  of  a  deep  detestation  en- 
tertained by  the  author  for  the  subject  of  Per- 
petual Motion,  and  a  contemptuous  pity  for 
any  one  seriously  interested  in  the  subject. 
Mr.  Dircks's  works  may  be  said  to  be  the  works 
of  a  scold.  His  sentiments  were  deep,  and  his 
impulses  strong,  which  accounts  for  the  vast 
amount  of  labor  he  did  in  the  preparation  of 
his  books.  Those  books  are  now  out  of  print, 
and  it  is  believed  by  the  author  of  this  book 
that  they  may  well  remain  so.  They  contain 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  9 

much  material  that  no  one  would  be  justified 
in  wading  through.  The  most  complicated 
mechanisms  devised  by  enthusiastic  dreamers 
are  shown  in  the  same  detail  with  which  the 
inventors  described  them  in  presenting  them 
to  the  public,  or  to  the  patent  offices.  Little  is 
to  be  gained  by  this. 

So  complicated  are  many  of  the  devices 
that  only  technically  trained  engineers  could 
read  them  understandingly,  and  few  technically 
trained  engineers  are  now  greatly  interested 
in  self-motive  power  devices.  We  believe  that 
every  useful  or  interesting  purpose  is  served  if 
enough  devices  are  collected,  classified  and  pre- 
sented to  show  the  various  principles  relied 
upon  by  the  inventors;  with  an  explanation  of 
why  they  failed — i.  e.,  wherein  the  principles 
relied  upon  are  wrong,  and  while  possibly  not 
out  of  harmony  with  any  mechanical  principles 
then  known,  are  entirely  out  of  harmony  with 
principles  since  discovered  and  now  well 
known. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  volume  a  vast 
amount  of  the  information  furnished  by  the 
two  works  of  Mr.  Dircks  has  been  rearranged, 
reclassified,  and  used. 

Everyone  who  has  to  any  extent,  by  en- 
vironmfent,  associated  with  the  mass  of  people 
who  are  not  technically  educated,  knows  that 


10  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

the  persons  who  are  still  interested  in  the  sub- 
ject of  Perpetual  Motion,  and  who  still  seek  its 
attainment,  are  not  technically  trained  engi- 
neers or  mathematicians,  but  for  the  greater  part 
untrained  people  of  naturally  strong  mechan- 
ical sense,  and  of  natural  mechanical  and 
mathematical  adaptation. 

This  book  is  written  for  the  perusal  of  that 
large  class  of  people.  It  is  not  designed  as  an 
argument  either  for  or  against  the  possibility 
of  the  attainment  of  Perpetual  Motion. 

The  author  is  content  to  classify  and 
present — clearly,  it  is  hoped — the  leading  en- 
deavors that  have  been  known  in  that  field  of 
effort,  and  to  explain  tfieir  failure. 

It  is  believed  by  the  author  that  the  perusal 
of  the  present  volume  by  anyone  whose  mind 
has  been  attracted  by  the  subject  of  Perpetual 
Motion  will  result  in  an  enlightenment,  and, 
it  is  also  believed,  will  have  a  tendency  to  di- 
rect his  mind  from  a  struggle  with  theories 
long  ago  exploded,  and  may  result  in  directing 
his  efforts  to  things  practical,  and  not  without 
hope  of  attainment. 

This  work  is  offered  only  to  minds  mecfian- 
ically  or  mathematically  inclined.  It  is  not 
even  Hoped  that  it  will  interest  people  who 
prefer  fiction  to  fact,  nor  people  who  read  sim- 
ply for  idle  entertainment. 


INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY 

Perpetual  Motion  as  used  in  this  book  is 
to  be  taken  in  its  conventional,  and  not  in  its 
strict  literal  sense.  The  strict  literal  analysis 
of  the  two  words  implies  unceasing  motion. 
Of  this  we  have  many  illustrations — the  tides, 
the  waves  of  the  ocean,  the  course  of  the  earth 
around  the  sun,  and  in  the  movements  of  all 
heavenly  and  astronomical  bodies.  In  fact,  it 
is  difficult  to  conceive  in  a  strictly  scientific 
sense  of  any  substance  having  an  entire  ab- 
sence of  motion. 

Perpetual  Motion  as  used  in  this  book 
means  what  it  is  usually  understood  to  mean — 
Self-Motive  Power — a  machine  that  furnishes 
the  power  to  keep  its  parts  going  as  a  ma- 
chine. In  this  sense  Perpetual  Motion  has 
always  engaged  the  minds  of  many,  many  peo- 
ple— and  what  is  more  natural?  As  soon  as  a 
boy  begins  to  take  an  interest  in  moving  parts 
of  machinery,  vehicles,  locomotives,  and  what 
not,  he  perceives  that  the  application  of  power 
results  in  the  motion  of  bodies,  and  again  that 
bodies  in  motion  are  productive  of  power.  A 
wheel  moved  by^muscular,  or  other  mechanical 
power,  is  made  by  machinery  to  elevate  water, 
and  elevated  water  can  be  made  in  descending 
to  run  machinery.  The  windlass,  or  other 


12  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

wheel,  turned  by  applied  force,  lifts  buckets 
from  wells — raises  stone,  and  elevates  heavy 
bodies,  if  desired.  Heavy  bodies  descending 
can  be,  and  are  used  through  means  of  ma- 
chinery to  make  machinery  run. 

A  great  many  similar  illustrations  could 
be  given.  What,  then,  is  more  natural  than 
that  a  boy  with  an  active  mind  who  is  at  all 
mechanically  turned,  as  most  boys  are,  begins 
to  wonder  why,  if  wheels  lift  stones,  and  if 
stones  descending  make  wheels  run,  cannot  a 
machine  be  made  that  will  lift  stones,  or  other 
weights,  and  in  turn  be  run  by  the  descent  of 
the  lifted  stones,  or  other  weights?  Why,  if 
the  turning  of  wheels  lift  water,  and  if  descend- 
ing water  makes  wheels  go,  should  not  an 
adaptation  be  made  by  which  the  same  machine 
will  elevate  water,  and  be  run  by  the  descent 
of  the  elevated  water? 

That  it  cannot  be  done  is  now  the  con- 
sensus of  opinion  of  all  technically  trained 
mechanics,  but,  that  it  can  not  be  done,  and  why 
it  can  not  be  done,  is  sure  not  to  occur  to  the 
boy,  nor  to  the  man  who  has  only  a  strong 
natural  mechanical  sense  to  guide  him,  and  has 
not  the  advantage  of  technical  training. 

Again,  it  is  well  known  that  many,  many 
men  have  spent  considerable  sums  of  money 
and  given  hours  and  hours,  and  days,  and 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  13 

months,  and  years  of  close  and  careful  thought, 
and  experiment  to  the  production  of  a  machine 
that  will  accomplish  Perpetual  Motion,  and 
that  many  have  announced  to  the  world  that 
they  had  succeeded  in  its  accomplishment,  but 
that  all  their  devices  so  far  have  turned  out 
failures. 

It  is  to  no  purpose  to  tell  the  Perpetual 
Motion  worker  that  he  is  seeking  to  attain  the 
impossible;  that  the  attainment  of  self-motive 
power  has  been  demonstrated  to  be  an  impos- 
sibility. He  will  answer,  or,  at 


reason  to  himself  that  many  things  once  pro- 
nounced impossibilities  and  claimed  to  be  so 
demonstrated,  have  since  been  attained.  The 
Perpetual  Motion  worker  is  usually  a  person 
of  active  intelligence,  and  being  enamoured  of 
mechanical  projects  is  likely  to  read  extensively 
along  mechanical  lines,  and  knows  as  every 
well-informed  person  knows,  that  there  are 
many  instances  in  the  history  of  the  discovery 
and  development  of  the  most  important  me- 
chanical inventions  and  scientific  discoveries 
where  the  persistent  efforts  of  so-called  enthu- 
siastic dreamers  and  cranks  finally  triumphed 
over  the  settled  and  conventional  "impossibil- 
ities" of  dignified  scientists. 

When,  less  than  a  century  ago,  it  was 
proposed  to  propel  a  ship  across  the  Atlantic 


14  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

ocean  by  steampower,  Ignatius  Lardner,  a 
scientific  teacher,  lecturer  and  interpreter  of 
real  note  and  merit  wrote  a  book  "demonstrat- 
ing" the  physical  impossibility  of  a  vessel  carry- 
ing enough  fuel  to  propel  itself  through  that 
distance  of  water.  The  book  was  actually 
printed,  but  was  scarcely  off  the  press  until  the 
first  steamship  had  successfully  crossed  the 
Atlantic  with  steampower,  and  steamed  tri- 
umphantly into  port. 

After  communication  by  electric  telegraph 
was  well  established  and  had  been  in  successful 
commercial  use  for  decades,  it  was  proposed  to 
converse  by  long  distance  over  a  wire.  The 
idea  was  hooted  and  declared  impossible,  and 
it  did  seem  so,  and  yet  today,  there  is  scarcely 
a  farm  house  in  the  nation  but  what  has  an 
instrument  by  which  the  occupants  can  talk 
over  wires  not  only  to  their  near-by  neighbors, 
but  to  remote  cities. 

Prof.  Samuel  P.  Langley,  less  than  two 
decades  ago  undertook  in  a  thoroughly  scien- 
tific manner  to  accomplish  what  is  called 
"heavier  than  air  flight."  His  scientific  ideas 
on  the  subject  were  entirely  correct,  but  he 
did  not  have  the  advantage  of  engine  refine- 
ment as  it  is  known  today,  by  which  high 
energy  development  can  be  attained  with  an 
engine  or  motor  of  small  weight.  Neverthe- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  15 

less,  Prof.  Langley  succeeded  in  flying  a  con- 
siderable distance,  and  in  fact,  made  a  number 
of  successful  demonstrations  of  the  physical 
possibility  of  heavier  than  air  flight.  Prof. 
Simon  Newcomb,  who  is  to  be  ranked  as  the 
greatest  astronomer,  mathematician  and  scien- 
tist the  United  States  has  ever  produced,  and 
with  the  possible  exception  of  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin, the  most  original  thinker  along  scientific 
lines,  wrote  an  article  which  was  published 
generally  in  scientific  journals,  in  which  he 
warned  Prof.  Langley  of  the  folly  of  his  at- 
tempts, not  claiming,  however,  the  scientific 
impossibility  of  heavier  than  air  flight,  but 
claiming  that  it  could  never  be  of  any  real  prac- 
tical value;  that  the  instability  of  the  air,  etc., 
limited  flight  by  man  to  a  daredevil  show  per- 
formance. A  child  then  born  would  now  be 
scarcely  grown,  and  yet,  aeroplanes  are  in  use 
in  every  civilized  country  in  the  world  for  ob- 
servation and  military  purposes,  and  even  for 
carrying  mail  to  places  not  otherwise  easily 
accessible. 

Thousands  of  flights  are  undertaken  every 
day  with  the  confident  expectation  of  a  suc- 
cessful trip  and  return.  How  many,  many 
boys  and  mechanics,  prior  to  the  achievement 
of  human  flight,  have  been  attracted  by  the 
problem,  only  to  have  their  ambitions  and 


16  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

dreams  discouraged  and  suppressed  by  being 
told  that  the  scientific  world  knows  that  human 
flight  is  impossible — "God  made  man  to  walk 
on  the  ground,  and  the  birds  to  fly,  and  if 
Nature  had  intended  that  we  should  fly  we 
would  have  been  equipped  with  wings,"  and 
probably  to  be  dubbed  "Darius  Green,"  as  a 
reminder  of  the  inglorious  fate  of  the  pseudo 
hero  of  that  name  in  Trowbridge's  clever  and 
immortal  poem  about  Darius  Green  and  his 
Flying  Machine. 

The  announcement  of  the  discovery  of 
rays  by  means  of  which  views  may  be  made 
and  photographs  taken  through  substances 
supposedly  opaque  to  all  light  rays  was  scouted 
as  a  ridiculously  visionary  dream ;  but  the  dis- 
coverers were  not  dismayed  by  scout  and 
ridicule,  but  persisted  in  their  dreams  and  en- 
thusiasm. There  is  not  a  village  of  any  con- 
siderable size  in  the  civilized  world  but  has 
its  X-Ray  Machine  by  which  foreign  substances 
in  the  flesh  may  be  viewed  and  photographed 
and  located  with  exactitude,  fractures  exam- 
ined and  all  surgical  operations  aided  to  the 
benefit  and  health  and  recovery  of  the  sick  and 
wounded.  Mankind  is  the  recipient  of  the 
benefits  resulting  from  the  fact  that  enthu- 
siastic cranks  were  not  deterred  by  ridicule  and 
supposed  demonstrations  of  their  folly. 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  IT 

The  above  are  only  a  few  of  the  many  like 
instances  recorded  in  scientific  progress.  While 
not  accurately  true,  and  while  less  true  during 
the  last  two  decades  than  formerly,  it  is,  never- 
theless, a  general  truth  that  scientific  progress 
has  been  made  in  spite  of,  and  in  the  face  of 
discouragement  and  ridicule  from  the  multi- 
tudes who  were  destined  to  be  benefited  by 
the  discoveries  made  by  the  persistent  so-called 
cranks. 

These  facts  are  all  well  known  to  the  Per- 
petual Motion  enthusiast.  It  is,  therefore,  of 
no  avail  to  tell  him  that  the  scientific  world 
has  pronounced  his  aspirations  and  attempts 
but  dreams,  and  that  Perpetual  Motion  work- 
ers are  by  the  scientific  world  denominated 
cranks. 

If  it  be  admitted  that  Perpetual  Motion  is, 
as  scientific  men  tell  us,  a  chimerical  dream,  it 
is  still  to  be  very  greatly  doubted  if  the  world 
at  large  is  to  be  benefited  by  dissuading  minds 
from  working  on  the  problem.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  many  persons  who  have  become 
more  intensely  interested  in  mechanics  by 
thinking  and  working  on  the  problem  of  Per- 
petual Motion,  have  thereby  been  lead  to  study 
more  and  more  generally  into  mechanical  sub- 
jects, and  became  not  merely  tyros,  but  useful 
men  in  various  mechanical  pursuits.  Many 


18  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

doubtless  have  followed  mechanical  subjects  to 
which  they  were  introduced  by  labors  toward 
Perpetual  Motion,  to  the  making  of  useful  and 
valuable  inventions  and  discoveries. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  a  countless 
number  of  devices  for  the  attainment  of  Per- 
petual Motion  have  been  proclaimed  and  ex- 
hibited, it  is  to  be  supposed  that  those  actually 
proclaimed  and  brought  to  light  constitute  but 
an  infmitesimally  small  proportion  of  those 
actually  made.  It  is  to  be  supposed  that  the 
Perpetual  Motion  worker  has  some  sense,  and 
that  the  great  majority  of  them  before  pro- 
claiming his  apparatus  would  want  to  know 
himself  that  it  was  not  a  failure,  and  would  not, 
when  ushered  before  the  public,  bring  upon 
him  humiliation  and  jeers.  It  is  to  be  believed 
that  in  nearly  every  instance  the  produced  de- 
vice was  tested  before  being  proclaimed  and 
ushered  into  the  light  of  day.  It  goes  without 
saying  that  all  that  were  so  tested  were  fail- 
ures, and  were  never  heard  of  except  by  the 
inventor  and  a  very  few  intimate  friends  or 
co-laborers.  Those  that  have  been  heralded 
to  the  world  represent  only  that  small  propor- 
tion where  over-confidence  in  the  operation,  or 
a  disregard  for  the  truth,  or  some  other  unex- 
plainable  something  caused  the  inventor  and 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  19 

his  friends  to  make  the  announcement  and  dis- 
closure of  the  device  before  the  test. 

It  is  almost  impossible  to  conceive  of  a 
person  of  any  intelligence  exposing  himself  to 
the  ridicule  resulting  from  the  failure  of  a 
pompously  heralded  device,  when  a  simple  test 
would  have  saved  the  exposure,  and  yet  the 
civilized  world  has  been  filled  with  Perpetual 
Motion  devices  proclaimed  and  heralded  with 
trumpet  blast,  which,  when  tested,  "didn't 
work." 

It  is  not,  however,  the  purview,  or  purpose 
of  this  book,  to  incite  people  to  work  on  the 
problem  of  Perpetual  Motion,  neither  is  it  its 
purview  or  purpose  to  dissuade  them  from  it. 

In  the  works  of  Mr.  Dircks,  mentioned  in 
the  preface  of  this  work,  the  devices  for  Per- 
petual Motion  are  classified  somewhat  with 
reference  to  the  time  each  was  produced.  In 
some  instances  with  reference  to  whether  or 
not  patents  were  applied  for  and  obtained,  or 
as  to  the  source  of  information  concerning 
them. 

A  careful  examination  of  the  devices  pre- 
sented in  Mr.  Dirck's  two  works,  and  of  those, 
information  concerning  which  has  been  ob- 
tained elsewhere,  leads  the  author  to  believe 
that  nothing  is  to  be  gained  by  an  attempted 
classification  along  those  lines. 


20  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

In  countless  instances  Perpetual  Motion 
seekers  of  different  races  and  living  in  separate 
countries,  and,  indeed,  on  different  continents, 
centuries  apart,  have  sought  the  attainment  of 
Perpetual  Motion  by  practically  the  same  de- 
vices, and  inventor  after  inventor  has  brought 
forth  alleged  inventions  depending  upon  pre- 
cisely the  same  underlying  mechanical  prin- 
ciple. 

The  author  has  attempted  to  classify  the 
various  devices  presented  in  this  book  accord- 
ing to  the  underlying  mechanical  principles 
upon  which  the  inventor  chiefly  relied  for  the 
success  of  his  invention.  Even  this  classifica- 
tion is  extremely  difficult  and  not  well  dis- 
tinguished. Many  of  them,  indeed  most  of 
them,  depend  for  their  success  upon  more  than 
one  mechanical  principle,  and  the  classifications 
thereby  inevitably  intermingle  and  overlap 
what  otherwise  would  be  their  distinguishing 
boundaries.  Still  it  is  believed  by  the  author 
that  it  is  the  best  that  could  be  adopted,  and 
that  no  better  or  clearer  classification  is  pos- 
sible than  the  one  here  presented. 

The  various  devices  are  classified  by  the 
author  under  the  following  heads: 

Devices  by  Means  of  Wheels  and  Weights. 

Devices  by  Means  of  Rolling  Weights  and 
Inclined  Planes. 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  21 

Hydraulic  and  Hydro-Mechanical  Devices. 
Pneumatic  Siphon  and  Hydro-Pneumatic 
Devices. 

Magnetic  Devices. 

Devices  Utilizing  Capillary  Attraction  and 
Physical  Affinity. 

Liquid  Air  as  a  Means  of  Perpetual  Mo- 
tion. 

Radium  and  Radio-Active  Substances  Con- 
sidered as  a  Conceived  Source  of  Perpetual 
Motion. 

Perpetual  Motion  Devices  Attempting  Its 
Attainment  by  a  Misconception  of  the  Relation 
of  Momentum  and  Energy. 
to  which  is  added — 

"A  Discussion  of  the  Alleged  Inventions 
of  the  very  eminent  Edward  Sommer- 
set,  Sixth  Earl  and  Second  Marquis  of 
Worcester,  and  Jean  Ernest  Eli-Bess- 
ler  Orffyreus. 
Also — 

"A  Discussion  by  the  Author  of  the  'Doc- 
trine of  Conservation  of  Energy,  and 
Its  Relation  to  the  Possibility  of  Per- 
petual Motion/  " 
And— 

"A  Discussion  by  the  Author  of  'Will 
Perpetual  Motion  Ever  Be  Accom- 
plished ?'" 


CHAPTER  I 

DEVICES  BY  MEANS  OF  WHEELS  AND 
WEIGHTS 

Wilars  de  Honecort 

While  attempts  at  Perpetual  Motion  are 
as  old  as  the  human  race,  not  many  of  the  more 
ancient  devices  have  been  preserved,  either  by 
engraving  or  by  explanation. 

Among  the  very  earliest  of  these  attempts 
of  which  we  have  detailed  information  is  the 
device  of  Wilars  de  Honecort.  He  was  an 
architect,  and  lived  in  the  thirteenth  century. 
The  information  is  preserved  in  "A  Sketch 
Book"  by  him  which  was  deposited  and  re- 
mains in  the  Ecole  des  Chartes  at  Paris.  About 
the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century  comments 
were  published  in  France  on  this  ancient  device. 
Some  of  these  were  translated  into  English. 
The  following  account  is  an  extract  from  a 
translation  made  by  Professor  Willis,  of  Cam- 
bridge. 

"Many  a  time  have  skilful  workmen  tried  to 
contrive  a  wheel  that  shall  turn  of  itself:  here  is  a 
way  to  make  such  a  one,  by  means  of  an  uneven 
number  of  mallets,  or  by  quicksilver" 

Wilars  de  Honecort  presents  to  us  a  de- 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  23 

vice  for  a  perpetual  motion;  it  is  not  clear 
whether  he  intends  to  claim  the  contrivance  of 
it,  or  whether  he  had  met  with  it  in  the  course 
of  his  travels.  It  differs  very  little  from  a  well- 
known  contrivance  for  this  purpose  which  has 
been  so  often  published,  and  its  fallacy  so  fully 
explained  in  popular  books,  that  it  is  unneces- 
sary to  dwell  at  length  upon  the  mechanical 
principles  which  it  involves.  It  is  extremely 
curious  in  this  place,  because  it  shows  the  great 
antiquity  of  the  problem,  the  solution  of  which 
has  wasted  the  time,  the  brains,  and  the  means 
of  many  an  unhappy  artisan  or  philosopher. 

In  the  drawing  we  have  now  before  us,  the 
two  upright  posts,  which  are  framed  together 
and  skilfully  braced  so  as  to  ensure  their  steadi- 
ness, support  between  them  a  long  horizontal 
axle,  to  the  centter  of  which  is  fixed  a  wheel 
with  four  spokes.  The  absence  of  perspective 
in  this  drawing  makes  the  wheel  appear  as  if 
it  were  parallel  to  the  frame,  instead  of  being, 
as  it  is,  at  right  angles  to  it. 

Seven  mallets,  or  arms,  each  loaded  with 
a  heavy  weight  at  the  end,  are  jointed  at  equal 
distances  to  the  circumference  of  the  wheel,  so 
that  those  which  happen  to  have  their  joints 
below  the  diameter  of  the  wheel  will  hang 
freely  down,  but  if  the  wheel  be  turned  round  by 
hand  or  otherwise,  the  weights  of  those  which 


24  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

are  on  the  ascending  side  will,  in  succession, 
rest  on  its  circumference,  and  will,  in  that  posi- 
tion, be  carried  over  the  highest  part  of  the 
wheel  and  downwards  on  the  descending  side, 
until  the  arms  that  bear  them  are  brought  into 
a  vertical  position  ancl  a  little  beyond  it,  and 
theri  the  weight  will  fall  suddenly  over  and  rest 
on  the  opposite  position  on  the  circumference  of 
the  wheel,  until  its  further  descent  enables  it 
to  dangle  freely  as  before.  The  effect  of  this 
mechanism  upon  the  position  of  the  weights 
is  not  truly  represented,  for  the  upper  mallet 
has  fallen  over  too  soon.  In  the  modern  form 
of  this  contrivance  a  pin,  or  stop,  is  introduced, 
by  which  the  mallet,  when  it  falls  over,  is  com- 
pelled to  rest  so  that  its  arm  shall  point  to  the 
center  of  the  wheel,  and  thus  the  descending 
weight  be  held  at  a  greater  distance  from  the 
center  than  when  ascending.  It  is  extremely 
probable  that  this  difference  is  a  mere  error  of 
the  artist,  for  the  drawing  has  the  appearance 
of  having  been  made  from  a  model  of  the  wheel 
at  rest;  a  condition  in  which,  of  course,  it  would 
always  be  found,  unless  moved  by  some  ex- 
ternal 'force.  The  inventor  seems  to  have 
thought  that  the  action  above  described  would 
always  place  four  weights  on  the  descending 
side,  and  leave  but  three  on  the  ascending  side, 
each  weight  as  it  rises  to  the  top  being  intended 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  25 

to  leap  suddenly  over  to  the  descending  side, 
in  the  manner  just  explained;  or  perhaps,  as 
M.  Lassus  suggests,  the  contriver  imagined 
that  the  blows  given  to  the  wheel  in  succession 
by  the  falling  mallets  would  help  it  forward. 


^ 

It  is  surprising  that  although  the  slightest 
model  would  show  the  failure  of  devices  of  this 
class  to  persons  incapable  of  mathematical  rea- 
soning, yet  such  machines  have  been  seriously 
proposed  in  books,  and  are  continually  recon- 
trived  by  ingenious  workmen.  The  allusion 
to  quicksilver  in  the  manuscript  shows  that 


26  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

Wilars  was  acquainted  with  the  well-known 
contrivance  described  in  the  books  already  re- 
ferred to,  in  which  portions  of  that  metal  in- 
closed in  channels  are  used  instead  of  the  fall- 
ing weights. 

A  Repetition  of  Wilars  de  Honecort's  Plan 

This  device  was  brought  forth  in  1831  in 
England,  and  illustrates  what  we  say  in  the 
Introductory  Essay  to  the  effect  of  inventors 


working  on  the  same  plan  in  different  parts  of 
the  earth  and  centuries  apart. 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  27 

We  are  unable  to  give  the  inventor's  name. 
He  was  a  correspondent  to  Mechanics'  Maga- 
zine, and  the  description  furnished  by  the  in- 
ventor as  published  in  Mechanics'  Magazine, 
is  as  follows: 

Description. — A  A  A  is  a  ring  of  thin  wood ; 
B  B  B,  several  spokes,  movable  round  the  fixed 
points  C  C  C,  and  only  allowed  to  move  one  way 
by  the  construction  of  the  openings  D  D  D; 
E  E  E,  heavy  weights  fixed  to  the  ends  of  the 
spokes. 

From  the  position  in  which  the  wheel  is  at 
present,  it  is  evident  that  the  weights  on  the  right- 
hand  side  (1  and  2)  acting  at  a  greater  distance 
from  the  center  than  those  (4  and  5)  on  the  other 
side,  will  cause  that  side  to  descend  until  the  spoke 
1  reaches  the  position  3,  when  it  will  exert  no 
moving  influence,  but  by  which  time  the  weight  8 
will  have  fallen  into  the  position  1,  when  a  similar 
effect  will  take  place,  and  so  on  with  the  rest. 

Leonardo  da  Vinci 

It  is  with  a  mingled  feeling  of  sorrow  and 
exaltation  that  we  note  the  Perpetual  Motion 
labors  of  the  great  Leonardo  da  Vinci.  Of  all 
of  the  men  who  ever  gave  the  subject  more 
than  a  passing  notice  he  is  the  most  famous. 

Leonardo  da  Vinci  was  an  Italian,  born  in 
1452,  and  died  in  1519.  He  was  the  illegitimate 


28  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

son  of  Florentine,  lawyer.  His  mother  has 
been  variously  described  as  a  peasant,  and  as 
of  gentle  birth.  Little  about  her  is  known. 
The  father  belonged  to  a  family  of  lawyers, 
and  never  repudiated  the  son,  but  took  him, 
educated  him,  and  cared  for  him.  It  is  well 
for  the  world  that  he  did,  for  Leonardo  da  Vinci 
has  perhaps  contributed  more  to  art  and  learn- 
ing in  the  world  than  any  other  single  individ- 
ual that  ever  lived.  He  was  a  painter,  a  sculp- 
tor, an  architect,  a  musician,  a  mechanician, 
engineer  and  natural  philosopher.  Each  sub- 
ject in  art  or  science  that  he  touched  he  not 
only  mastered,  but  improved  and  embellished. 
He  painted  the  original  of  the  well-known  pic- 
ture of  the  Christ  and  His  twelve  Apostles, 
known  as  the  "Last  Supper,"  or  the  "Last  Sup- 
per of  Our  Lord."  This,  and  Mona  Lisa,  are 
perhaps  the  paintings  by  which  he  is  known  to 
the  greatest  number  of  people,  and  are  con- 
sidered by  many  connoisseurs  the  highest  per- 
fection in  art  ever  attained  by  mortal  man. 

But,  as  painter  and  sculptor,  he  is  to  be 
regarded  as  among  the  greatest,  if  not  the  very 
greatest  that  ever  lived.  In  art  he  ranks  be- 
side, if  not  ahead  of  Michelangelo  and  Raffael, 
and  yet  they  are  known  only  as  artists,  while 
he  was  preeminent  in  both  art  and  science.  The 
work  he  did  in  natural  science  was  entirely 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  29 

original  and  emanated  from  an  inherent  initia- 
tive and  originality,  and  as  a  scientist,  he  is 
entitled  to  rank  below  only  Newton,  Gallileo 
and  Copernicus,  and  very  few  others.  In  all 
the  history  of  the  world  he  is  the  only  man  of 
whom  it  can  be  said  that  he  attained  the  apex 
of  eminence  in  both  art  and  science. 

The  information  concerning  Leonardo  da 
Vinci's  devices  for  obtaining  Perpetual  Motion 
is  extremely  meager.  There  does  not  seem  to 
be  extant  any  detailed  explanation  of  just  how 
he  expected  his  different  designs  to  work. 

All  that  is  known  concerning  his  efforts 
is  sufficiently  illustrated  by  the  following  cuts 
and  language  from  Dircks: 

Fig.  i  may  be  taken  as  a  scheme  belonging 
to  the  fifteenth  century.  It  seems  to  be  placed 
at  the  head  as  a  simple  or  elementary  design 
for  future  improvement.  It  is  a  chambered 
drum  wheel,  containing  balls  or  weights,  which, 
being  always  farthest  from  the  center  on  one 
side,  as  compared  to  the  other,  are  expected  to 
keep  the  wheel  constantly  rotating. 

Fig.  2.  Failing  in  this  scheme,  the  inven- 
tor next  offers  one  with  weighted  levers,  which 
are  to  fall  outwards  on  one  side,  but  to  fall  in- 
wards on  the  opposite  side,  the  weight  at  the 
same  time  sliding  up  the  lever  when  vertical 
at  the  bottom,  so  as  to  be  nearer  the  center 
throughout  on  the  ascending  side.  But  how 


30 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  31 

the  weight  is  to  be  made  to  ascend  at  the  bottom 
remains  to  be  shown. 

Fig.  3.  The  difficulty  of  elevating  the 
weight  would  appear  to  have  suggested  its  im- 
mersion in  a  trough  of  water,  as  here  shown. 
The  weights  seem  to  be  attached  to  some  con- 
trivance to  float  them  upwards;  but  we  are  per- 
plexed, and  so  no  doubt  was  da  Vinci,  how  to 
sink  them,  or  being  sunk,  how  to  render  them 
again  buoyant  by  any  self-motive  process. 

Fig.  4.  It  would  appear  as  though  the  dif- 
ficulties observable  in  Fig.  3  were  attempted 
to  be  met  here,  in  a  plan  which  evidently  com- 
bines several  views  of  the  case,  yet  without 
removing  the  main  difficulty;  for  although  the 
weight  at  the  end  of  the  long  arm  may  be  quite 
capable  of  sinking  in  the  liquid,  we  still  inquire, 
How  is  it  ever  to  be  raised  again? 

Fig.  5  seems  to  be  an  incomplete  sketch, 
and  a  mere  variation  on  the  preceding  designs, 
with  the  addition  either  of  machinery  below  to 
be  worked  by  it,  or  to  give  it  motion.  Possibly 
it  was  proposed  to  have  a  magnet  at  the  bottom 
of  the  vessel. 

Fig.  6  appears  to  be  two  designs  in  one 
sketch.  On  one  side  we  have  long  single 
levers,  with  a  single  weight  at  their  ends,  and  a 
weight  between  each  at  the  periphery;  on  the 
other  end,  double  or  forked  levers  and  double 
weights.  Its  mixed  character  renders  it  prob- 
able that  it  was  merely  some  preliminary 
sketch. 

The  great  value  of  the  present  exhibition 


32  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

of  these  early  contrivances  of  misdirected  me- 
chanical ingenuity  consists  in  the  convincing 
evidence  which  they  afford,  that  all  young  in- 
ventors who  occupy  themselves  in  the  search 
for  self-motive  machines,  do  little  more  than 
reproduce  the  blunders  of  a  past  age.  After  a 
lapse  of  five  centuries  modern  inventors  often 
become  patentees  of  contrivances  which  are 
only  more  complicated  than  the  assumed-to-be 
overweight  wheel  of  Wilars  de  Honecort,  or 
the  six  similar  ones  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci. 
But  such  has  hitherto  been  the  ignorance  of 
mechanics  on  this  subject,  that  Fig.  i  of  the 
annexed  diagrams  has  frequently  been  adduced 
by  writers  on  the  subject,  as  the  veritable  wheel 
invented  by  the  Marquis  of  Worcester,  in  the 
seventeenth  century! 

A.  Capra's  Device 

In  1678,  A  Capra,  of  Italy,  revived  the  an- 
cient, but  still  favorite  scheme  that  dates  back 
to  the  13th  century.  (See  page  22  ante.)  He 
illustrates  his  idea  with  the  following  figure 
and  the  following  comment: 

On  the  wheel  A  (of  the  facsimile  engrav- 
ing opposite),  which  must  be  hung  well  equi- 
poised between  two  uprights,  are  appended 
counter-weights,  eighteen  in  number,  all  pre- 
cisely at  the  same  distance  from  each  other, 
and  all  exactly  of  the  same  weight.  The  coun- 


PERPETUAL   MOTION 


33 


ter-weights  are  provided  with  a  small  ring  by 
which  they  are  hung. 

Whilst  the  counter-weights  B  are  farther 


from  the  center  C  of  the  wheel,  they  weigh 
more  than  the  counter-weights  I,  because  these 
are  low  and  nearer  to  the  center  C  of  the  wheel, 
so  that  the  counterweights  B  descend  and  the 


34  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

weight  I  drops;  and  whilst  the  weight  B  is  al- 
ternately descending  and  the  weight  I  ascend- 
ing, the  wheel  will  revolve  continually.  But 
it  must  be  understood  that  it  is  necessary  to 
make  the  wheel  perfectly  true  in  equilibrium, 
so  that  it  do  not  weigh  more  on  one  side  than 
on  the  other  on  account  of  the  counter-weights. 

The  Device  of  Dixon  Vallance.   England,  1825 

This  inventor  was  certain  he  had  over- 
taken and  captured  the  ever-illusive  Perpetual 
Motion.  He  gives  a  description  of  his  happi- 
ness and  his  machine  in  the  following  effusively 
joyous  language: 

The  annexed  drawing  shows  how  I  have 
at  length  taken  this  enticing  jilt  (perpetual 
motion),  though  after  a  long'  and  weary 
chase — 

Through  pleasant  and  delightful  fields, 

Through  barren  tracts  and  lonely  wilds; 

'Mongst  quagmires,  mosses,  muirs  and 
marshes, 

Where  deil  or  spunkie  never  scarce  is ! 

By  chance  I  happened  on  her  den, 

And  took  her  when  she  didna  ken. 

W  W  W  W  represents  a  wheel  with 
twelve  hollow  spokes,  in  each  of  which  there 
is  a  rolling  weight  or  ball.  C  C  C  C  is  a  chain 
passing  over  two  pulleys  P  P.  There  is  an  open- 
ing round  the  wheel  from  the  nave  to  the  cir- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


35 


cumference,  so  as  to  allow  the  chain  to  pass 
freely  and  to  meet  the  weights.  The  weights 
are  met  by  the  chain  as  the  wheel  revolves, 
and  are  raised  from  the  circumference  till  they 
are  at  last  brought  close  to  the  nave,  where 
they  remain  till,  by  the  revolution  of  the  wheel, 


they  are  allowed  to  roll  out  to  the  circumfer- 
ence. By  this  arrangement  the  weights  are, 
on  one  side  of  the  wheel,  always  at  the  circum- 
ference, so  that  that  side  is  more  powerful  than 
the  other,  which  causes  the  wheel  continually 
to  revolve.  F  F  F  F  is  the  frame  of  the  ma- 


36  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

chine;  M  M  M  M  the  mortices  for  joining  the 
two  sides  of  the  frame  by  cross  rails.  The 
arrows  point  out  the  direction  in  which  the 
wheel  turns. — I  am,  yours,  &c.,  Dixon  Vallance. 
Liberton,  Lanarkshire,  Nov.  10,  1825. 

Furman's  Device 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  patent  office 
of  the  U.  S.  government  as  late  as  1884  and 
1886,  received  and  filed,  seriously  considered 
and  granted  Letters  Patent  on  Perpetual  Mo- 
tion Devices  as  appears  from  the  description  of 
Furman's  Device  following,  and  from  Schirr- 
meister's  "Mechanical  Movement/'  and  Enbom 
&  Anderson's  "Improvement  in  Pumps,"  ap- 
pearing on  pages  38  and  76  respectively,  supra. 

These  were  not  denominated  Perpetual 
Motion  Devices  by  the  inventors,  but  the  speci- 
fications show  them  to  be  simply  that  and 
nothing  more. 

July  15,  1884,  George  H.  Furman,  of 
Rochester,  Ohio,  U.  S.  A.,  was  granted  U.  S. 
Patent  No.  301979,  on 

"A  New  and  Improved  Motor." 

The  essentials  are  sufficiently  shown  by 
the  following  excerpt  from  the  specifications 
and  the  following  figure.  We  have  omitted 
Figure  2,  mentioned  in  the  specifications: 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  37 

UNITED  STATES  PATENT  OFFICE. 


George  H.  Furman,  of  Rochester,  Ohio. 


MOTOR. 

Specification  forming  part  of  Letters  Patent 

No.  301979,  dated  July  15,  1884. 
Application  filed  March  6,  1884.    (No  model.) 

The  action  of  the  motor  is  as  follows :  A 
suitable  quantity  of  the  small  weights  d  being 
placed  in  the  outer  drum,  F,  through  the  door 
/,  the  machine  being  at  rest,  they  will  accumu- 
late at  the  lower  part  of  the  drum  F  in  the 
pockets  c'  c'.  Now,  to  run  the  machine  a  per- 
son will  apply  his  hands  to  the  rim  H  and  re- 
volve the  outer  drum,  F,  in  the  direction  of  the 
arrow  shown  in  Fig.  1.  This  movement  of  the 
outer  drum  will  cause  the  weights  d  to  be  car- 
ried in  the  pockets  c'  cf  to  the  upper  side  of  the 
drum,  at  which  point  they  will  roll  from  the 
pockets  c'  cf  into  the  pockets  b  b  of  the  inner 
drum,  G,  where  their  weight  will  cause  the  drum 
G  and  shaft  E  to  revolve.  As  the  pockets  b  of 
the  inner  drum  pass  below  the  shaft  E  they  empty 
the  weights  into  the  troughs  c'  of  the  outer  wheel, 
F,  to  be  again  carried  above  the  shaft  and  dropped 


38 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


into  the  pockets  b,  so  that  the  inner  wheel,  G,  and 
shaft  E  will  be  revolved  continuously. 

Schirrmeister's  Mechanical  Movement 

July  6,  1886,  Charles  Schirrmeister,  of 
Brooklyn,  Kings  County,  State  of  New  York, 
U.  S.  A.,  obtained  Letters  Patent  No.  345077, 
on  a  new  and  useful 

"Mechanical  Movement. " 

The  essentials  of  the  patented  device  ap- 
pear from  the  following  excerpts  from  the  spec- 
ifications, and  the  following  figures  accom- 
panying the  specifications.  (Figs.  2,  3  and  4 
we  do  not  show.) 


PERPETUAL   MOTION 


39 


JY 


40 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


The  object  of  my  invention  is  to  furnish  a 
cheap  and  simple  means  for  imparting  mechan- 
ical power;  and  I  accomplish  this  by  means  of 
a  series  of  radial  arms  placed  at  right  angles  to 
and  projecting  from  the  axis  of  motion  where 
power  is  first  applied,  and  so  arranged  that  each 
arm  is  in  a  different  vertical  plane,  said  arms 
being  weighted  at  each  end  with  a  ball  of  metal. 
Some  of  these  arms  are  also  made  hollow  and 
inclose  sliding  or  rolling  weights,  which  move 


back  and  forth  as  the  axis  revolves,  and  the  mo- 
tion is  still  further  re-enforced  by  a  series  of 
springs  which  are  attached  to  the  axis  by  a 
lever  and  eccentric. 

Taking  the  simplest  form  of  my  device,  I 
illustrate  the  same  by  the  accompanying  draw- 
ings, in  which — 

Figure  i  is  a  side  elevation  of  the  entire 
apparatus.  Fig.  2  is  a  sectional  view  showing 
the  hollow  arm  with  a  rolling  weight.  Fig.  3 
is  an  end  view  showing  the  operation  of  a  re- 
enforcing  spiral  spring.  Fig.  4  is  a  detailed 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  41 

view  showing  still  further  the  method  of  re- 
enforcing  motion  by  springs.  Fig.  5  is  a  view 
of  the  driving-pulley  with  its  hollow  arms. 

Similar  letters  refer  to  similar  parts  in  the 
several  views. 

A  is  the  axis  to  which  the  power  first  im- 
parting motion  is  applied. 

N  are  the  bearings  supporting  the  same. 

B  is  the  driving-pulley  attached  to  said 
axis,  and  from  which  motion  is  imparted  by 
means  of  the  driving  belt  b  to  any  point  desired. 

C  are  the  hollow  arms  of  the  driving-pul- 
ley B. 

D  are  the  solid  arms  radiating  from  the 
axis  A. 

E  are  the  hollow  arms  radiating  from  the 
axis  A. 

F  are  the  solid  balls  or  weights  secured  to 
the  ends  of  the  arms  D  and  E. 

a  are  the  sliding  or  rolling  weights,  which 
are  inclosed  within  the  hollow  arms  C  and  E. 

c  are  the  slots  cut  into  the  hollow  arms  E, 
to  relieve  the  air-pressure  formed  by  the  back- 
ward and  forward  motion  of  the  weights  a. 

G  are  springs  so  arranged  as  to  expend 
their  force  upon  the  axis  A  by  means  of  the 
connecting  rods  H,  both  attached  to  the  springs 
and  one  attached  to  the  axis  A  by  means  of  the 
eccentric  I  and  the  other  to  the  wheel  J  at  one 
end  of  the  axis. 

K  is  a  balanced  lever,  upon  which  the 
springs  G  may  rest,  said  lever  being  supported 
at  each  end  upon  the  springs  L. 


42  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

M  is  a  crank  attached  to  one  end  of  the 
axis  A,  and  serves  to  show  the  place  and  man- 
ner in  which  the  power  may  be  applied. 

The  manner  of  constructing  and  operating 
my  invention  is  as  follows:  The  entire  ap- 
paratus is  made  of  steel  or  iron,  and  the  shaft, 
bearings,  arms,  springs  and  connecting-rods 
are  of  ordinary  form.  The  main  or  driving 
pulley  is  cast  with  four  hollow  arms,  in  which 
round  weights  are  inclosed,  which  move  back 
and  forth  within  the  arms  when  the  wheel  is 
set  in  motion.  The  solid  arms,  as  well  as  the 
hollow  arms,  which  are  used  in  addition  to 
those  forming  a  part  of  the  driving-pulley,  are 
arranged  by  means  of  set-screws  a  suitable  dis- 
tance apart  upon  the  axis  and  in  different  per- 
pendicular planes,  so  as  to  give  steadiness  in 
motion.  A  thread  is  cut  upon  each  end  of  these 
arms,  and  the  fixed  weights  are  then  screwed 
on.  When  the  shaft  or  axis  revolves,  the 
weights  which  move  toward  the  ends  of  the 
arms  above  the  center  accelerate  the  motion, 
and  the  momentum  of  the  machine  aids  in  over- 
coming the  resistance  caused  by  the  weights, 
which  are  below  the  center.  At  the  same  time 
the  revolution  of  the  eccentric  and  crank-pin 
upon  the  axis  depresses  the  connecting-rods, 
which  in  turn  depress  the  springs,  which,  being 
released  as  soon  as  the  eccentric  and  crank-pin 
have  reached  their  lowest  point,  contribute  a 
lifting  power  to  overcome  the  resistance  above 
mentioned.  As  shown  in  the  drawings,  these 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  43 

springs  joined  to  the  connecting-rods  may  be 
supported  and  assisted  by  other  springs. 

The  power  is  applied  by  hand,  operating 
upon  a  crank  at  the  end  of  the  axis,  or  may  be 
imparted  by  steam,  hot  air,  electricity,  or  in 
any  other  known  method,  and  is  conducted  to 
any  desired  point  by  means  of  the  belt  b. 

Having  fully  described  my  invention,  what 
I  claim  as  new,  and  desire  to  secure  by  Letters 
Patent,  is : 

i.  The  combination,  in  apparatus  for  in- 
creasing mechanical  power,  of  an  axis,  as  A, 
supported  upon  bearings  N,  with  a  driving- 
pulley,  as  B,  having  hollow  arms,  as  C,  with 
movable  weights,  as  a,  and  radial  arms,  both 
solid  and  hollow,  the  latter  having  movable 
weights,  together  with  fixed  weights  attached 
to  the  end  of  each  arm,  all  substantially  as  and 
for  the  purpose  described. 

Ferguson's  Device 

James  Ferguson  was  an  eminent  Scotch 
mechanician  and  astronomer.  He  was  born  in 
1710,  and  died  in  1776.  He  was  reared  in  very 
humble  circumstances,  and  is  known  as  the 
Peasant  Boy  Philosopher.  A  most  interesting 
story  of  his  life  was  written  by  Henry  Mayhew, 
and  published  in  England  in  1857,  entitled 
"The  Story  of  the  Peasant  Boy  Philosopher." 

He  prepared  astronomical  tables  of  great 
value  and  lectured  on  astronomical  and  me- 


44  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

chanical  subjects.  His  lectures  were  edited  by 
a  no  less  eminent  man  than  Sir  David  Brewster. 
While  Perpetual  Motion  seemed  to  have  re- 
ceived considerable  time  and  attention  from  him, 
and  while  his  writings  show  that  he  examined  a 
great  many  mechanical  devices,  he  seems  all  the 


time  to  have  entertained  serious  doubt  of  the  pos- 
sibility of  a  machine  having  self-motive  power. 
However,  in  1770,  he  devised  a  machine  for  the 
purpose  of  producing  Perpetual  Motion.  It 
does  not  appear  that  he  ever  offered  the  ma- 
chine to  the  public,  or  sought  publicity  for  it. 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  45 

A  description  of  it  is  to  be  found  in  his  Common 
Place  Book  in  the  University  Library,  Edin- 
burg.  The  description  there  furnished  is  as 
follows : 

The  axle  at  A  is  placed  horizontally,  and 
the  spokes  B,  C,  D,  etc.,  turn  in  a  vertical  posi- 
tion. They  are  jointed  at  s,  t,  u,  etc.,  as  a  com- 
mon sector  is,  and  to  each  of  them  is  fixed  a 
frame  as  R,  S,  T,  etc.,  in  which  the  weights 
7,  8,  9,  I,  2,  etc.,  have  liberty  to  move.  When 
any  spoke  as  D  is  in  a  horizontal  position,  the 
weight  I  in  it  falls  down  and  pulls  the  part  b 
of  the  then  vertical  spoke  B  straight  out,  by 
means  of  a  cord  going  over  the  pulleys  K  and 
k  to  the  weight  I.  The  spoke  C  c  was  pulled 
straight  out  before,  when  it  was  vertical,  by 
means  of  the  weight  2,  belonging  to  the  spoke 
E  e  which  is  in  the  horizontal  position  D  d;  and 
so  of  all  the  others  on  the  right  hand.  But 
when  these  spokes  come  about  to  the  left  hand, 
their  weights  4,  5,  6  fall  back,  and  cease  pulling 
the  parts  f,  g,  h,  i;  so  that  the  spokes  then 
bend  at  their  joints  X,  y,  z,  and  the  balls  at 
their  ends  come  nearer  the  center  A,  all  on  the 
left  side.  Now,  as  the  balls  or  weights  at  the 
right  hand  side  are  farther  from  the  center  A 
than  they  are  on  the  left,  it  might  be  supposed 
that  this  machine  would  turn  round  perpetu- 
ally. I  have  shown  it  to  many  who  have  de- 
clared it  would;  and  yet  for  all  that,  whoever 
makes  it,  will  find  it  to  be  only  a  mere  balance. 
I  leave  them  to  find  out  the  reason. 


46 


PERPETUAL   MOTION 


B.  Belidor's  Device 

This  device  was  incubated  in  the  brain  of 
an  American.  His  name  is  unknown.  We 
have  denominated  it  "B.  Belidor's  Device,"  not 
because  B.  Belidor  was  the  inventor,  but  be- 
cause the  account  of  the  invention  was  fur- 


nished  by  him.  This  device  seems  to  the  au- 
thor to  have  possessed  originality,  though,  of 
course,  it  failed  to  work  for  reasons  clearly 
apparent. 

An  account  of  it  was  given  in  the  Journal 
of  Franklin's  Institute,  Philadelphia,  in  1828. 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  47 

The  article  contributed  by  B.  Belidor  is  as 
follows: 

Even  the  pursuit  after  perpetual  motion, 
hopeless  as  it  is,  may  not  be  considered  en- 
tirely vain,  in  occasionally  leading  to  useful 
modifications  of  machinery.  As  an  instance  of 
this,  I  here  submit  to  you  a  plan  suggested  by 
an  ingenious  friend  of  mine,  several  years  ago, 
as  in  the  diagrams  annexed,  Fig.  i,  a  perpendic- 
ular, and  Fig.  2  a  horizontal  view. 

A  A,  two  vertical  wheels,  placed  diag- 
onally, and  revolving  on  the  axes  X  X.  The 
levers  B  B  and  C  C  are  hinged  at  the  peripheries 
of  the  wheels.  By  rotation  the  arms  B  B  are 
projected  from  the  center  of  motion,  while  the 
arms  C  C  are  drawn  in. 

It  is  plain  that  a  series  of  arms  as  shown 
in  Fig.  2,  will  produce  an  eccentric  motion, 
causing  the  weights  at  their  ends  apparently 
to  preponderate  on  the  side  B. — BELIDOR. 

Desagulier's  Proposition  on  the  Balance 

This  so-called  problem  is  of  doubtful  classi- 
fication. The  author  of  the  problem  did  not 
claim  that  the  discovery  of  the  problem  dis- 
closes any  means  for  attaining  Perpetual  Mo- 
tion, and,  yet,  it  is  apparent  that  if  the  author 
of  the  problem  was  correct  in  his  solution  of  it, 
Perpetual  Motion  was  thereby  already  within 
his  grasp.  The  difficulty  about  it  all  is  that 
while  the  problem  is  quite  interesting,  the 


48  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

author's  solution  shows  that  he  was  not  fa- 
miliar with  even  fundamental  mechanics.  The 
name  of  the  author  was  J.  T.  Desagulier,  LL.D., 
F.  R.  S.  He  was  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  but 
evidently  gave  considerable  attention  to  me- 
chanical questions.  He  is  mentioned  in  chapter 
X  of  this  work. 

Rev.  Desagulier  presented  two  problems 
of  the  balance.  One  he  calls  "A  Proposition  on 
the  Balance,  not  taken  notice  of  by  Mechanical 
Writers,  explained  and  confirmed  by  an  Ex- 
periment/' The  article  under  this  heading  is 
as  follows : 

In  the  last  papers  I  published  in  "Philosoph- 
ical Transaction"  against  this  perpetual  motion, 
described  in  No.  177,  I  intreated  the  author  to 
permit  me  to  say  nothing  as  to  what  alterations  he 
might  make  in  his  engine,  resolving  to  leave  it 
to  others  to  show  him  that  upon  that  prin- 
ciple all  he  can  do  signifies  nothing.  But  I 
find  since,  in  the  "Nouvelles  de  la  Republique" 
for  December  last,  that  he  still  persists  to  urge 
some  new  contrivances,  which  being  added,  he 
conceives  his  engine  must  succeed.  To  this  I 
answer,  that  I  undertook  only  to  shew  that  his 
first  device  would  faile,  which  yet  I  should 
scarce  have  done  if  I  had  thought  a  dispute  of  this 
nature  could  have  lasted  so  long.  To  come, 
therefore,  to  the  point  where  he  saith  that  this 
engine  may  well  succeed  without  alteration, 
because  he  hath  tryed  with  liquors  put  into 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


49 


2 

i 


50  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

bellows  immersed  in  water;  I  again  say  that  I 
grant  him  the  truth  of  the  experiments,  but 
deny  the  consequences  he  would  draw  from 
them.  I  have  already  given  the  reasons  of  my 
dissent,  which  this  gentleman  is  not  pleased  to 
understand.  But  to  end  all  controversies,  he 
may  please  to  consult  Mr.  Perrault,  De  la  Hire, 
or  any  other  at  Paris  well  known  to  be  skilled 
in  hydraulicks,  and  I  doubt  not  but  he  will  find 
them  of  the  same  opinion  with  Mr.  Boyle,  Mr. 
Hook,  and  other  knowing  persons  here,  who  all 
agree  that  our  author  is  in  this  matter  under  a 
mistake. 

A  Proposition  on  the  Balance,  not  taken  notice 
of  by  Mechanical  Writers,  explained  and 
confirmed  by  an  Experiment. 

A  B  is  a  balance,  on  which  is  supposed  to 
hang  at  one  end,  B,  the  scale  E,  with  a  man  in 
it,  who  is  counterpoised  by  the  weight  W  hang- 
ing at  A,  the  other  end  of  the  balance.  I  say, 
that  if  such  a  man,  with  a  cane  or  any  rigid 
straight  body,  pushes  upwards  against  the 
beam  anywhere  between  the  points  C  and  B 
(provided  he  does  not  push  directly  against  B), 
he  will  thereby  make  himself  heavier,  or  over- 
poise the  weight  W,  though  the  stop  G  G  hin- 
ders the  scale  E  from  being  thrust  outwards 
from  C  towards  G  G.  I  say  likewise,  that  if 
the  scale  and  man  should  hang  from  D,  the 
man,  by  pushing  upwards  against  B,  or  any- 
where between  B  and  D  (provided  he  does  not 
push  directly  against  D),  will  make  himself 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  51 

lighter,  or  be  overpoised  by  the  weight  W, 
which  before  did  only  counterpoise  the  weight 
of  his  body  and  the  scale. 

If  the  common  center  of  gravity  of  the 
scale  E,  and  the  man  supposed  to  stand  in  it, 
be  at  k,  and  the  man,  by  thrusting  against  any 
part  of  the  beam,  cause  the  scale  to  move  out- 
wards so  as  to  carry  the  said  common  center  of 
gravity  to  k  x,  then,  instead  of  B  E,  L  /  will  be 
come  the  line  of  direction  of  the  compound 
weight,  whose  action  will  be  increased  in  the 
ratio  of  L  C  to  B  C.  This  is  what  has  been 
explained  by  several  writers  of  mechanics;  but 
no  one,  that  I  know  of,  has  considered  the  case 
when  the  scale  is  kept  from  flying  out,  as  here 
by  the  post  G  G,  which  keeps  it  in  its  place,  as 
if  the  strings  of  the  scale  were  become  in- 
flexible. Now,  to  explain  this  case,  let  us  sup- 
pose the  length  B  D  of  half  of  the  brachium 
B  C  to  be  equal  to  3  feet,  the  line  B  E  to  4  feet, 
the  line  E  D  of  5  feet  to  be  the  direction  in 
which  the  man  pushes,  D  F  and  F  E  to  be  re- 
spectively equal  and  parallel  to  B  E  and  B  D, 
and  the  whole  or  absolute  force  with  which  the 
man  pushes  equal  to  (or  able  to  rise)  10  stone. 
Let  the  oblique  force  E  D  (=  10  stone)  be  re- 
solved into  the  two  E  F  and  E  B  (or  its  equal 
F  D)  whose  directions  are  at  right  angles  to 
each  other,  and  whose  respective  quantities 
(or  intensities)  are  as  6  and  8,  because  E  F  and 
B  E  are  in  that  proportion  to  each  other  and  to 
E  D.  Now,  since  E  F  is  parallel  to  B  D  C  A, 
the  beam,  it  does  no  way  affect  the  beam  to 


52  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

move  it  upwards;  and  therefore  there  is  only 
the  force  represented  by  F  D,  or  8  stone,  to 
push  the  beam  upwards  at  D.  For  the  same 
reason,  and  because  action  and  reaction  are 
equal,  the  scale  will  be  pushed  down  at  E  with 
the  force  of  8  stone  also.  Now,  since  the  force 
at  E  pulls  the  beam  perpendicularly  downwards 
from  the  point  B,  distant  from  C  the  whole 
length  of  the  brachium  B  C,  its  action  down- 
wards will  not  be  diminished,  but  may  be 
expressed  by  8  X  B  C;  whereas  the  action  up- 
wards against  D  will  be  half  lost,  by  reason  of 
the  diminished  distance  from  the  center,  and 

BC 
is  only  to  be  expressed  by  8  X ;  and  when 

2 

the  action  upwards  to  raise  the  beam  is  sub- 
tracted from  the  action  downwards  to  depress 
it,  there  will  still  remain  4  stone  to  push  down 

BC 
the  scale ;  because  8  X  B  C  —  8  X =  4  B  C 

2 

Consequently,  a  weight  of  4  stone  must  be 
added  at  the  end  A  to  restore  the  sequilibrium. 
Therefore  a  man,  &c.,  pushing  upwards  under 
the  beam  between  B  and  D,  becomes  heavier. 
Q.  E.  D. 

On  the  contrary,  if  the  scale  should  hang 
at  F,  from  the  point  D,  only  3  feet  from  the 
center  of  motion  C,  and  a  post  G  G  hinders  the 
scale  from  being  pushed  inwards  towards  C, 
then,  if  a  man  in  this  scale  F  pushes  obliquely 
against  B  with  the  oblique  force  above  men- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  53 

tioned,  the  whole  force,  for  the  reasons  before 
given  (in  resolving  the  oblique  force  into  two 
others  acting  in  lines  perpendicular  to  each 
other)  will  be  reduced  to  8  stone,  which  pushes 
the  beam  directly  upwards  at  B,  while  the  same 
force  of  8  stone  draws  it  directly  down  at  D 
towards  F.  But  as  C  D  is  only  equal  to  half 
of  C  B,  the  force  at  D,  compared  with  that  at 

B,  loses  half  its  action,  and  therefore  can  only 
take  off  the  force  of  4  stone  from  the  push  up- 
wards at  B ;  and  consequently  the  weight  W 
at  A  will  preponderate,  unless  an  additional 
weight  of  4  stone  be  hanged  at  B.    Therefore, 
a  man,  &c.,  pushing  upwards  under  the  beam 
between  B  and  D,  becomes  lighter. 

The  other  problem  presented  by  Rev. 
Desagulier  is  denominated  by  him  "An  Ex- 
periment explaining  a  Mechanical  Paradox, 
that  two  bodies  of  equal  weight  suspended  on  a 
certain  sort  of  balance  do  not  lose  their  equilib- 
rium by  being  removed,  one  farther  from,  the 
other  nearer  to,  the  center." 

The  article  concerning  this  problem  is  as 
follows : 

If  the  two  weights  P  W  hangs  at  the  ends 
of  the  balance  A  B,  whose  center  of  motion  is 

C,  those  weights  will  act  against  each  other 
(because   their   directions   are   contrary)    with 
forces  made  up  of  the  quantity  of  matter  in 
each    multiplied    by    its    velocity;    that    is,    by 
the  velocity  which  the  motion  of  the  balance 
turning  about  C  will  give  to  the  body  sus- 


54 


PERPETUAL   MOTION 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  55 

pended.  Now,  the  velocity  of  a  heavy  body  is 
its  perpendicular  ascent  or  descent,  as  will  ap- 
pear by  moving  the  balance  into  the  position 
a  b,  which  shews  the  velocity  of  P  to  be  the 
perpendicular  line  e  a,  and  the  velocity  of  B 
will  be  the  perpendicular  line  b  g;  for  if  the 
weights  P  and  W  are  equal,  and  also  the  lines 
e  a  and  b  g,  their  momenta,  made  up  of  e  a 
multiplied  into  W,  and  b  g  multiplied  into  P, 
will  be  equal,  as  will  appear  by  their  destroying 
one  another  in  making  an  equilibrium.  But 
if  the  body  W  was  removed  to  M,  and  sus- 
pended at  the  point  D,  then,  its  velocity  being 
only  /  d,  it  would  be  overbalanced  by  the  body 
P,  because  /  d  multiplied  into  M  would  produce 
a  less  momentum  than  P  multiplied  into  b  g. 

As  the  arcs  A  a,  B  b,  and  D  d,  described  by 
the  ends  of  the  balance  or  points  of  suspension, 
are  proportionable  to  their  sines  e  a,  g  b,  and 
d  jy  as  also  the  radii  or  distances  C  A,  C  B,  and 
C  D;  in  the  case  of  this  common  sort  of  bal- 
ance, the  arcs  described  by  the  weights,  or  their 
points  of  suspension,  or  the  distances  from  the 
center,  may  be  taken  for  velocities  of  the 
weights  hanging  at  A,  B,  or  D,  and,  therefore, 
the  acting  force  of  the  weights  will  be  reciprocally 
as  their  distances  from  the  center. 

Scholium. — The  distances  from  the  center 
are  taken  here  for  the  velocities  of  the  bodies, 
only  because  they  are  proportionable  to  the 
lines  e  a,  b  g,  and  /  d,  which  are  the  true  velocities ; 
for  there  are  a  great  many  cases  wherein  the 
velocities  are  neither  proportionable  to  the  dis- 


56  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

tances  from  the  center  of  motion  of  a  machine, 
nor  to  the  arcs  described  by  the  weights  or 
their  points  of  suspension.  Therefore,  it  is  not 
a  general  rule  that  weights  act  in  proportion 
to  their  distances  from  the  center  of  motion; 
but  a  corollary  of  the  general  rule  that  weights 
act  in  proportion  to  their  velocities,  which  is 
only  true  in  some  cases.  Therefore,  we  must 
not  take  this  case  as  a  principle,  which  most 
workmen  do,  and  all  those  people  who  make 
attempts  to  find  the  perpetual  motion,  as  I  have 
more  amply  shewn  in  the  Phil.  Trans.,  No.  369. 
But  to  make  this  evident  even  in  the  bal- 
ance, we  need  only  take  notice  of  the  following 
experiment : — A  C  B  E  K  D  is  a  balance  in  the 
form  of  a  parallelogram  passing  through  a  slit 
in  the  upright  piece  N  O  standing  on  the  pedes- 
tal M,  so  as  to  be  moveable  upon  the  center 
pins  C  and  K.  To  the  upright  pieces  A  D  and 
B  E  of  this  balance  are  fixed  at  right  angles  the 
horizontal  pieces  F  G  and  H  I.  That  the  equal 
weights  P  W  must  keep  each  other  in  sequi- 
librio,  is  evident;  but  it  does  not  at  first  appear 
so  plainly,  that  if  W  be  removed  to  V,  being 
suspended  at  6,  yet  it  shall  still  keep  P  in 
sequilibrio,  though  the  experiment  shews  it. 
Nay,  if  W  be  successively  moved  to  any  of  the 
points  i,  2,  3,  E,  4,  5,  or  6,  the  aequilibrium  will 
be  continued ;  or  if,  W  hanging  at  any  of  those 
points,  P  be  successively  moved  to  D,  or  any 
of  the  points  of  suspension  on  the  cross-piece 
F  G,  P  will  at  any  of  those  places  make  an 
sequilibrium  with  W.  Now,  when  the  weights 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  57 

are  at  P  and  V,  if  the  least  weight  that  is 
capable  to  overcome  the  friction  at  the  points 
of  suspension  C  and  K  be  added  to  V,  as  u,  the 
weight  V  will  overpower,  and  that  as  much  at 
V  as  if  it  was  at  W. 

From  what  we  have  said  above,  the  reason 
of  this  experiment  will  be  very  plain. 

As  the  lines  A  C  and  K  D,  C  B  and  K  E, 
always  continue  of  the  same  length  in  any  posi- 
tion of  the  machine,  the  pieces  A  D  and  B  E 
will  always  continue  parallel  to  one  another, 
and  perpendicular  to  the  horizon.  However, 
the  whole  machine  turns  upon  the  points  C  and 
K,  as  appears  by  bringing  the  balance  to  any 
other  position,  as  a  b  e  d;  and  therefore,  as  the 
weights  applied  to  any  part  of  the  pieces  F  G 
and  H  I  can  only  bring  down  the  pieces  A  D 
and  B  E  perpendicularly,  in  the  same  manner 
as  if  they  were  applied  to  the  hooks  D  and  E, 
or  to  X  and  Y,  the  centers  of  gravity  of  A  D 
and  B  E,  the  force  of  the  weights  (if  their 
quantity  of  matter  is  equal)  will  be  equal,  be- 
cause their  velocities  will  be  their  perpendicular 
ascent  or  descent,  which  will  always  be  as  the 
equal  lines  4  /  and  4  L,  whatever  part  of  the 
pieces  F  G  and  H  I  the  weights  are  applied  to. 
But  if  to  the  weight  at  V  be  added  the  little 
weight  u,  those  two  weights  will  overpower, 
because  in  this  case  the  momentum  is  made  up 
of  the  sum  of  V  and  u  multiplied  by  the  com- 
mon velocity  4  L. 

Hence  follows,  that  it  is  not  the  distance 
C  6  multiplied  into  the  weight  V  which  makes  its 


58  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

momentum,  but  its  perpendicular  velocity  L  4 
multiplied  into  its  mass.  Q.  E.  D. 

This  is  still  further  evident  by  taking  out 
the  pin  at  K;  for  then  the  weight  P  will  over- 
balance the  other  weight  at  V,  because  then 
their  perpendicular  ascent  and  descent  will  not 
be  equal. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Desagulier  was  evidently  a 
man  of  scientific  turn  and  capacity.  It  is  unusual 
to  find  ministers  deeply  interested  in  scientific 
matters,  and  yet,  he  seems  to  have  been.  The  net 
result  of  his  experiments  can  be  succinctly  stated 
as  follows : 

In  the  first  problem  there  is  no  change  in 
the  distance  of  the  center  of  gravity  from  the 
support,  and,  therefore,  there  could  be  no  dis- 
turbance of  the  equilibrium. 

In  the  second  problem  there  is  a  change  in 
the  distance  in  the  center  of  gravity  from  the 
support,  and  there  must  have  been  a  disturbance 
of  the  equilibrium. 

John  Haywood's  Device 

In  1790,  John  Hay  wood,  of  Long  Acre, 
Middlesex,  draftsman  and  mechanic,  obtained 
British  patent  on: 

"A  machine  for  working  mills  and  engines 
without  the  aid  of  fire,  water,  or  wind,  or  in  aid 
of  all  or  any  of  those  or  any  other  powers." 

The  specification  describes  the  device  as 
follows: 


PERPETUAL   MOTION 


59 


"The  machine  acts  on  a  rotative  principle, 
or,  in  other  words,  has  a  revolving  circular  or 
circulating  motion  round  an  axis,  center,  or 

(Fig.  I.) 


centers.  It  may  be  made  or  constructed  of  any 
materials  or  matter  whatsoever,  so  it  be  of  suffi- 
cient strength  to  sustain  the  power  of  'action 
when  applied  to  any  mill,  engine,  or  machine  to 


60  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

which  action  or  motion  can  or  may  be  com- 
municated by  a  wheel.  The  size  or  dimensions 
of  this  machine  are  by  no  means  confined,  but 
may  be  varied  or  altered  as  circumstances  may 
require. 

"References  to  the  drawings  of  the  ma- 
chine hereunto  annexed: — Fig.  i  is  the  section 
of  the  machine.  A,  A,  B,  a  cranked  or  double 
center,  fixed  to  the  stand  or  frame  D  by  the 
bolts  E.  C,  C,  the  wheel  which  turns  or  revolves 
round  that  part  of  the  cranked  center  mark 
A.  F,  levers  which  turn  or  revolve  round  the 
cranked  center  B.  G,  G,  rollers  or  weights 
which  revolve  in  the  circular  guides  or  grooves 
by  means  of  the  leavers  F.  H,  H,  circular 
grooves  or  guides  which  are  affixed  to  the  inner 
sides  of  the  wheel.  N.B. — the  distance  from  A 
to  B  is  the  radius  in  all  cases  to  determine  the 
space  between  the  center  of  the  guide  or  groove 
H  and  the  center  of  the  roller  or  weight  G.  The 
distance  of  the  two  concentric  circles  which 
form  the  guides  or  grooves  H  must  be  equal  to 
the  diameter  of  the  roller  or  weight  G.  I,  I, 
springs  which  stop  the  rollers  or  weights  G 
from  returning  when  at  the  horizontal  diameter 
of  the  wheel.  K,  weights,  which  may  be  in- 
creased or  diminished  at  pleasure.  L,  ledges 
which  connect  the  sides  of  the  wheel  together. 
N.  B. — By  fixing  cogs  or  teeth  on  the  rim  of  the 
wheel,  so  as  to  connect  it  with  any  mill,  machine, 
or  engine  to  which  motion  can  be  given  by  a 
wheel,  the  power  of  this  machine  may  be  com- 
municated." 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  61 

Explanation  of  the  Failure  of  the  Preceding 
Wheels  and  Weights  Devices 

It  must  not  be  presumed  that  the  preceding 
devices  shown  in  this  chapter  constitute  any  con- 
siderable part  of  the  Wheels  and  Weights  Devices 
that  have  been  constructed  through  the  hope  of 
attaining  Perpetual  Motion.  Of  all  the  means 
whereby  Perpetual  Motion  has  been  sought 
wheels  and  weights  have  been  by  far  the  most 
prolific.  There  is  scarcely  a  village  or  a  rural 
community  in  the  civilized  world  that  cannot 
point  out  its  Perpetual  Motion  worker,  and 
he  generally  starts  with  wheels  and  weights, 
though  often,  after  long  labor  and  final  failure 
with  wheels  and  weights,  he  still  exploits  other 
attractive  fields  of  hopeless  endeavor.  Of  the 
devices  of  that  kind,  accounts  of  which  have  ap- 
peared in  scientific  journals,  or  application  for 
patents  upon  which  have  been  made,  and,  in- 
deed, patents  often  granted,  it  would  be  possible 
to  write  a  book  of  thousands  of  pages,  but  to  do 
so  would  be  to  no  purpose. 

It  is  believed  by  the  author  that  the  preced- 
ing devices  are  sufficient  to  illustrate,  and  show 
the  controlling  features  of  all  the  various  me- 
chanical contrivances  for  the  utilization  of  wheels 
and  weights  as  a  means  of  Self-Motive  Power. 
Countless  others  could  be  shown  of  more  or  less 
complicated  mechanism,  but  an  examination 


63  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

would  disclose  the  fact  that  each  gets  back  to 
some  combination  of  parts  well  illustrated  in  the 
preceding.  Also,  in  endeavoring  to  express  why 
all  wheels  and  weights  devices  have  failed  to 
work,  each  essential  point  of  weakness  is  dis- 
closed in  the  preceding.  Now,  why  have  they 
failed  to  work,  and  wherein  are  they  inherently 
wrong  and  unscientific? 

A  cursory  examination  of  the  preceding  de- 
vices shows  that  each  depends  ultimately  on  the 
supposition : 

1.  That  a  descending  weight  elevates  an 
equal  weight  through  a  distance  equal  to  the 
descent,  and  at.the  same  time  overcomes  the  fric- 
tional  resistance  of  mechanism,  both  ascent  and 
descent  being  measured  on  perpendicular  lines,  or 

2.  That  weights  affixed  to   an   axis   and 
caused  to  have  a  longer  leverage  on  the  desce^d- 
ing  side  than  on  the  ascending  side,  and  conse- 
quently the  downward  pull  on  the  long  lever  side 
is  supposed  to  be  greater  than  the  downward  pull 
or  resistance  on  the  short  lever  side  of  the  axis. 

If  the  fallacy  of  these  supposed  principles  is 
explained  and  fully  understood,  it  disposes,  and 
disposes  effectually,  of  the  possibility  of  obtain- 
ing Perpetual  Motion  by  means  of  wheels, 
weights  and  the  force  of  gravity. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  a  wheel  is  a 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


63 


lever,  or  rather  it  is  a  continuous  series  of  levers 
— nothing  more — nothing  less. 

We  first  refer  to  the  figure  shown  in  A. 
Capra's  device,  page  33  ante.  The  left  side  of 
this  wheel  is,  of  course,  supposed  to  be  the  de- 
scending side  on  which  the  weights  are  farthest 
from  the  center  of  the  wheel.  It  is  apparent  that 


only  five  weights  are  having  any  leverage  advan- 
tage whatever,  while  a  much  greater  number  are 
being  made  to  ascend.  The  advantage  which  a 
few  of  the  weights  have  by  virtue  of  the  leverage 
pulling  downward  is  always  exactly  counterbal- 
anced by  an  increased  number  of  weights  being 
drawn  upward.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that 
the  direction  of  the  force  of  gravity  is  toward 


64  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

the  center  of  the  earth,  and  not  in  the  direction 
of  the  motion  of  the  wheel,  except  at  the  extreme 
left  side  of  the  wheel. 

Again,  consider  the  figure  appearing  on 
page  63.  It  is  manifest  that  the  weights  on  the 
right  hand  are  further  out,  and  have  a  lever- 
age advantage  of  the  weights  on  the  left  hand 
side,  but  it  is  also  manifest  that  there  is,  and  al- 
ways must  be,  a  greater  number  of  weights  on 
the  left  hand  side.  The  greater  leverage  of  the 
weights  on  one  side  is  exactly  balanced  by  the 
greater  number  of  weights  on  the  other  side. 

For  a  further  illustration,  take  the  figure 
shown  on  sheet  65,  ante.  The  weight  "1"  has  a 
distinct  advantage  over  weight  "5."  Weight  "2" 
has  a  distinct  advantage  over  weight  "6."  But 
here  we  have  only  three  weights :  1, 2  and  8,  tend- 
ing to  pull  the  wheel  from  left  to  right,  whereas 
there  are  five  weights,  3,  4,  5,  6  and  7,  tending  to 
prevent  its  going  to  the  right. 

In  other  words,  if  weights  1,  2  and  8  were 
removed,  it  is  clear  that  the  wheel  would  turn 
back  to  the  left  by  reason  of  the  action  of  the 
weights  3, 4,  5,  6  and  7.  Here  again  the  leverage 
advantage  which  weights  have  descending  is 
counterbalanced  by  the  increased  number  of 
weights  on  the  opposite  side  acted  on  by  the  force 
of  gravity,  tending  to  prevent  the  descent  of  those 
having  the  greater  leverage. 


PERPETUAL  'MOTION 


65 


All  the  simpler  devices  failed,  of  course,  to 
work.  The  more  complicated  devices  are  simply 
efforts  to  overcome  the  elementary  principles  that 
prevented  the  simpler  devices  from  working. 
Among  these  that  of  Dixon  Vallance  (see  page 
34,  ante),  is  best  adapted  to  illustrate  the  folly 


and  the  fallacy  of  these  various  devices  to  over- 
come elementary  principles. 

We  here  refer  to  the  figure  appearing  on 
page  35,  ante,  shown  in  connection  with  Dixon 
Vallance's  Device.  The  obvious  purpose  was  to 


66  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

keep  all  the  weights  close  to  the  hub,  except  those 
depended  upon  to  produce  continuous  motion  by 
their  greater  leverage. 

To  the  untrained  and  untechnical  person  it 
would  perhaps  not  be  manifest  at  first  just  why 
the  Vallance  machine  failed  to  work.  Here  is 
its  failure :  Weight  "c"  must  be  raised  toward  the 
hub  of  the  wheel.  To  raise  that  weight  requires 
the  application  of  force.  That  force  must  be 
supplied.  The  belt  "cc"  would  work  more  freely 
if  it  were  not  elevating  a  weight,  and  the  force 
required  from  "w"  to  turn  the  wheel  so  as  to 
elevate  the  weight  at  "c"  is  counterbalanced  by 
the  resistance  the  weight  "c"  offers  to  being 
raised,  and  consequently  to  the  motion  of  the  belt 
and  in  turn  to  the  progress  of  the  wheel. 

It  should  always  be  remembered  that,  omit- 
ting friction,  the  energy  exerted  by  a  descending 
body  is  the  perpendicular  distance  of  its  descent 
multiplied  by  its  weight.  For,  notwithstanding 
what  its  course  may  be  from  an  elevated  point  to 
a  lower  point  the  energy  accumulated  in  the  de- 
scent is  still  the  product  of  the  perpendicular  dis- 
tance and  the  mass,  or  weight. 

In  all  of  these  devices  it  is  apparent  that 
every  weight  is  brought  back  by  some  force  from 
the  lowest  point  it  reaches  to  the  same  elevation 
from  which  it  started  to  descend.  It  is  axioma- 
tic, therefore,  that  the  perpendicular  ascent  is 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  67 

equal  to  the  perpendicular  descent.  The  ascend- 
ing weight  and  the  descending  weight  are,  of 
course,  the  same.  Therefore,  the  product  of  the 
weight  and  the  perpendicular  distance  of  ascent 
is  exactly  equal  to  the  product  of  the  weight  and 
the  perpendicular  distance  of  descent.  Hence, 
there  is  an  exact  balancing  of  energies,  and  no 
motion  results.  Any  motion  imparted  by  wind, 
water  or  steam  will,  if  the  moving  force  be  with- 
drawn, soon  be  overcome  by  unavoidable  friction, 
and  a  state  of  rest  follows.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  any  attempt  to  attain  Self-Motive 
Power  by  means  of  wheels,  weights,  levers,  and 
the  force  of  gravity  must  result  in  failure.  The 
thing  itself  is  physically  impossible. 

In  addition  to  what  is  above  stated,  read 
carefully  Chapter  XI,  on  Conservation  of  En- 
ergy; also  read  Chapter  XIV,  entitled  "The 
Seeming  Probability  of  Effecting  a  Continual 
Motion  by  Solid  Weights  in  a  Hollow  Wheel  or 
Sphere"  at  page  290  of  this  book. 


CHAPTER  II 

DEVICES    BY    MEANS    OF    ROLLING 
WEIGHTS  AND  INCLINED  PLANES 

Device  by  Mercury  in  Inclined  Glass  Tube  and 
Heavy  Ball  on  Inclined  Plane 

Neither  the  inventor's  name  nor  his  nativity 
can  we  give.  An  account  of  the  invention  was 
furnished  by  a  correspondent  to  Mechanics' 
Magazine  in  1829.  The  account  is  as  follows : 

Jo  the  curious  who  delight  in  mechanical  in- 
tricacies, to  whom  ingenuity  of  contrivance  is  the 
goal  for  which  they  run,  nothing  seems  to  afford 
and  require  such  endless  resources  as  that  most 
puzzling  thing — perpetual  motion.  The  unfor- 
tunate name  "perpetual  motion,"  if  changed  for 
"mechanical  experiment,"  would  eventually,  per- 
haps, remove  the  real  cause  of  censuring  it,  by  the 
different  idea  of  the  object  aimed  at. 

I  now  beg  leave  to  offer  some  account  of  a 
combination  of  movements,  which,  from  its  orig- 
inality, and  seeming  to  possess  every  requisite  for 
retaining  it  in  action,  may  possibly  be  acceptable. 

This  diagram  shows  a  side  view.  On  the 
stand  A  are  raised  two  supports  B,  each  having 
a  center  hole  at  a,  to  receive  the  axle  of  the  bal- 
anced apparatus,  consisting  of  C,  a  glass  tube 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


69 


containing  a  portion  of  mercury  G;  and  D,  a 
grooved  scaleboard,  in  which  a  ball,  E,  can  roll 
backwards  and  forwards.  F  F  are  two  jointed 
levers,  which  are  to  serve,  when  struck  by  the 
ball,  to  reverse  the  position  of  the  compound  bal- 
ance :  the  whole  centred  at  a,  the  tube  at  b,  and 
the  grooved  board  at  c.  In  its  present  position, 
the  mercury  (it  is  supposed),  having  flowed  to 
the  end  C,  will  depress  D,  and  cause  the  ball  E 


to  roll  to  D,  and  depress  the  end  G  F  D ;  and  so 
on  continually. 

Series  of  Inclined  Planes 

This  scheme  is  of  English  origin,  and  was 
promulgated  in  1864.  The  name  of  the  inventor 
is  unknown,  but  he  described  his  invention  in  a 
communication  to  a  scientific  publication  in  the 
following  language: 


tt>  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

The  accompanying  diagram  represents  a 
series  of  inclined  semi-tubes  connected  together 
in  the  form  of  a  rectangle. 

The  ball  A,  is  placed  at  the  top  of  an  incline 
in  such  a  position  that  it  shall  descend  to  B,  at 
which  point  it  will  have  sufficient  velocity  or 
gravity  to  carry  it  up  the  ascent  to  C ;  and  so  sup- 
posing the  inclines  and  ascents  to  be  endless,  the 
repetition  of  the  movement  must  be  also  endless. 
I  think  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  a 
perpetual  movement  of  the  ball  will  take  place, 


from  the  fact  that  the  velocity  imparted  to  it  by 
its  first  descent  is  sufficient  to  carry  it  from  A  to 
C,  those  two  points  being  at  the  same  level.  I 
think  the  only  thing  to  guard  against  is  the  ball 
rushing  over  the  point  C,  and  thus  accelerating 
the  velocity  at  each  descent.  The  incline  on  road 
upon  which  the  ball  runs  can  be  made  either  cir- 
cular, square,  octagonal,  or,  in  fact,  almost  of 
any  form. 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  71 

Device  by  Oscillating  Trough  and  Cannon 

Balls 

(Name  of  inventor  unknown) 

An  adaptation  from  a  "Perpetual  Pump" 
substituting  cannon-balls  for  water. 

An  account  of  this  invention  was  published 
in  London  in  1825,  in  the  language  of  the  inven- 
tor, who  says: 

The  description  of  the  perpetual  pump  has 
suggested  to  me  whether  the  long-sought  "per- 
petual motion"  may  not  be  found  by  a  simple  me- 
chanical alteration  of  that  machine,  and  substi- 
tuting a  cannon-ball  as  a  primum  mobile,  in  lieu 
of  the  Water,  not  always  obtainable.  I  would 
recommend  that  in  the  bottom  of  the  trough  be 
inserted  at  each  end  two  dropping-boards,  of  a 
triangular  form,  moving  on  an  axis  at  one  corner, 
one  of  which  falling  below  the  level  of  the  trough 
at  the  elevated  end,  the  other  shall  be  raised  by 
the  stop  affixed  to  the  standard-post,  which, 
throwing  the  ball  again  back  to  the  former  end, 
shall  depress  that,  until  the  same  process  is  re- 
peated in  perpetual  activity. 

DESCRIPTION. — Fig.  1.  A,  the  trough, 
swinging  on  an  axis  at  B.  C,  the  cannon-ball, 
raised  by  one  of  the  dropping-boards,  D,  whilst 
the  other  falls  through  the  opening  at  E,  into  the 
trough.  F,  the  support  or  stop,  raising  the  drop- 


72 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


ping-board  D.  The  center  of  the  trough  ought 
to  be  pierced,  leaving  the  sides  as  a  support  to  the 
ball,  which  ought  not  to  be  wider  than  the  ball 
may  travel  freely  through. 

Fig.  2.  D  D,  the  dropping-boards,  which 
pass  through  the  center  so  as  to  leave  a  sufficiency 
of  the  trough  as  a  resting  place  for  the  ball  to 
give  a  momentum,  and  depress  the  trough,  pre- 


viously to  its  being  again  raised  by  the  dropping- 
board. 

We  meekly  venture  to  call  the  attention  of 
this  inventor,  if  he  is  still  living,  and  to  any 
others  who  may  be  working  along  the  same  line, 
that  to  our  certain  knowledge  water  is  more  gen- 
erally obtainable  than  cannon-balls.  We,  there- 
fore, suggest  the  use  of  water  instead  of 
cannon-balls. 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  73 

Unpublished  Incline  Plane  and  Weights  De- 
vices Noted  by  the  Author 

Except  the  preceding  three  devices  the  au- 
thor does  not  remember  ever  to  have  seen  re- 
ported in  any  book,  patent,  application  for  patent, 
or  report,  the  account  of  a  device  for  obtaining 
self-motive  power  by  means  of  weights  and  in- 
clined planes,  and  yet,  it  is  believed  by  the  author 
from  the  use  that  has  been  made  of  inclined 
planes  and  rolling  weights  in  demonstrating  me- 
chanical principles  by  many  natural  philosophers, 
and  also  from  devices  that  have  from  time  to  time 
been  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  author  dur- 
ing thirty  years  last  past,  that  the  inclined  plane 
with  rolling  weights  has  been  a  fertile  field  of 
folly  among  Perpetual  Motion  seekers. 

On  a  number  of  occasions  the  author  has 
been  asked  to  view  and  inspect  mechanical  devices 
of  that  kind,  which  it  was  claimed  by  the  con- 
fident inventor  and  his  friends  "would  surely 
"work  when  just  one  little  thing  could  be  over- 
come/' The  praseology  was  sometimes  varied  a 
little  from  the  preceding  quotation,  but  the  sub- 
stance was  always  there. 

In  one  instance  the  device  attracted  the  en- 
thusiastic attention  and  elicited  breathless  inter- 
est from  a  doctor  and  surgeon  of  much  more  than 
ordinary  skill  and  intelligence  in  his  profession, 
and  was  hopefully  regarded  by  a  number  of  other 


74  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

persons  who  had  had  schooling  advantages  and 
were  supposed  to  be  versed  in  the  rudiments  of 
mechanics,  and,  it  would  seem  to  the  author, 
ought  at  first  sight  to  have  perceived  the  fallacy 
and  hopelessness  of  the  inventor's  dreams. 

All  of  these  claimed  inventions  relying  on 
the  inclined  plane  with  rolling  weights  were  so 
nearly  alike  in  the  principle  involved  that  all  may 
be  illustrated  by  the  following  explanation : 


The  above  figure  shows  a  vertical  section  of 
a  device  that  illustrates  the  controlling  principle 
in  all  of  these  devices.  It  is  manifest  that  the 
balls  between  A  and  C  are  hanging  equally  be- 
tween A  D  and  C  D,  the  points  of  suspension 
A  and  C  being  in  a  horizontal  line.  It  is  also 
manifest  that  there  will  be  a  greater  number  of 
balls  on  the  sloping  incline  A  B  than  on  the 
sloping  incline  B  C.  The  Perpetual  Motion 
seeker  has  always  argued  to  himself  that  the 
four  balls  between  A  and  B  should  pull  stronger 
to  the  left  at  B  than  the  two  balls  between  B  and 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  75 

C  can  pull.  Sometimes  this  device  has  been 
varied  whereby  the  balls  would  roll  freely  down 
the  incline  from  B  to  A  and  then  roll  back  toward 
C  down  another  incline  where  they  would  be  sup- 
posed to  strike  a  lever  and  impel  a  ball  from  C 
to  B,  which  ball  would  then  roll  down  the  incline 
B  A,  and  so  on  indefinitely. 

The  error  of  all  this  lies  in  the  fact  that  the 
four  balls  between  B  and  A  will  not  elevate  the 
two  balls  between  B  and  C  for  the  reason  that 
they  are  on  a  less  inclined  slope.  As  we  would 
ordinarily  state  it,  B  C  is  a  "steeper"  incline. 
One  ball  between  B  and  C  by  force  of  gravity 
pulls  stronger  toward  C  than  one  ball  on  B  A 
will  pull  toward  A.  It  is  manifest,  therefore, 
that  an  equilibrium  requires  a  greater  number  of 
balls  on  B  A  than  B  C. 

B  A  is  longer  and  accommodates  a  greater 
number  of  balls  than  can  be  accommodated  on 
B  C.  The  number  of  balls  that  can  be  accom- 
modated on  the  respective  sides  is  always  found 
to  be  such  that  the  small  number  of  balls  between 
B  C  pull  in  the  aggregate  toward  C  the  same  as 
the  greater  number  of  balls  between  B  and  A 
pull  toward  A,  and  thus  equilibrium  is  established. 

It  is  manifest,  therefore,  that  with  the  pull 
from  B  toward  C  equal  to  the  pull  from  B  toward 
A,  the  mechanism  finds  its  balance  and  motion 
,  ceases.  This  is  true  of  all  similar  devices. 


CHAPTER  III 

HYDRAULIC    AND    HYDRO-MECHAN- 
ICAL DEVICES 

Enbom  &  Anderson's  Pump 

June  13,  182  U.  S.  Patent,  No.  2595 14  was 
granted  to  Andro  Enbom  and  John  A.  Anderson, 
of  Augusta,  Kansas,  U.  S.  A.,  on 

"Improvements  in  Pumps." 

It  seems  probable  that  the  inventors  did  not 
suspect,  and  that  the  patent  office  examiners  did 
not  discover  that  the  device  had  in  the  claimed 
"Improvement"  the  essentials  of  self-motive 
power.  An  examination  of  the  specifications 
clearly  shows,  however,  that  the  claim  of  the  in- 
ventors that  "the  water  lifted  by  the  pump  is 
caused  in  its  passage  over  the  wheel  A2  to  give 
power  to  the  same  and  thus  lessen  the  labor  re- 
quired/' presupposes  the  principle  of  self-motive 
power.  The  following  figure  taken  from  the 
specifications  and  the  following  excerpt  from  the 
specifications  illustrate  the  intended  operation : 

The  operation  is  substantially  as  follows: 
By  the  application  of  power  to  the  crank  a  revolu- 
tion is  given  to  the  main  shaft  A,  and  by  means 
of  this  the  pump-handle  is  properly  actuated 
through  the  intermediate  mechanism  described. 
The  water  lifted  by  the  pump  is  discharged 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


77! 


through  the  spout  e'  to  the  buckets  of  the  wheel 
a2,  and  by  these  is  delivered  to  the  trough  F.  By 
means  of  the  construction  described  the  water 
lifted  by  the  pump  is  caused,  in  its  passage  over 
the  wheel  a2,  to  give  power  to  the  same,  and  thus 
lessen  the  labor  required  to  produce  a  given  result. 
We  suggest  to  the  inventors  that  if  instead 


Tig.l 


of  elevating  the  water  to  the  place  of  discharge 
E'  they  discharge  it  at  the  level  of  the  trough 
"F"  they  will  lessen  the  distance  of  elevation  and 
will  save  many  times  the  energy  that  can  be  real- 
ized by  the  descent  of  the  water  from  the  level 
of  E'  to  the  level  of  "F." 


78  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

Device  of  "Ed.  Vocis  Rationis" 

In  1831  Mechanics'  Magazine  printed  an  ar- 
ticle contributed  by  a  correspondent  who  signed 
himself  "Ed.  Vocis  Rationis."  He  claimed  to 
have  invented  a  very  powerful  Perpetual  Motion 
Machine. 

His  enthusiasm  is  as  interesting  as  his  device 
is  absurd.  We  give  the  article  as  published  in 
full: 


I  propose  to  endeavor  to  show  how  my  plan 
of  perpetual  motion  could  be  applied  to  practical 
and  useful  purposes.  With  a  view  to  this,  I  give 
the  prefixed  sketch,  with  the  following  descrip- 
tion of  its  construction  and  use :  Let  A  represent 
the  side-wall  or  gable-end  of  a  house,  from  40  to 
50  feet  in  elevation ;  B,  a  cistern,  filled  with  water, 
having  an  orifice  near  its  bottom,  and  another 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  79 

open  at  the  top,  for  the  ready  escape  of  waste 
water,  as  before ;  C,  a  reservoir,  so  far  filled  with 
water  as  not  to  come  in  contact  with  the  bottom 
of  the  water-wheel  D,  which,  being  an  undershot 
wheel,  may,  of  course,  be  of  such  radius  as  is 
suitable  for  the  power  required  to  raise  the  water. 
Let  E  be  another  cistern,  filled  with  water,  equal 
to  and  provided  with  orifices  as  in  cistern  B,  both 
orifices  together  discharging  water  faster  than  it 
escapes  from  the  lower  orifice  of  the  cistern  B ; 
F,  two  (or  more,  as  the  case  may  require)  pumps, 
or  expressing-fountains,  supported  against  the 
walls  by  ties  d  d,  and  having  their  cylinders  in- 
serted in  the  reservoir  C,  and  their  lower  suckers 
fixed  at  a  little  less  than  32  feet  above  the  surface 
of  the  fluid  in  the  reservoir  C.  These  express- 
ing-fountains  discharging  their  water  into  the 
cistern  E  a  trifle  faster  than  it  escapes  from  its 
lower  orifice,  at  an  elevation  of  at  least  33  or  34 
feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water  in  the  reser- 
voir C,  will  afford  space  for  water-wheels,  sup- 
ported against  the  wall  by  the  upright  K,  say 
three  water-wheels,  G  H  I,  of  at  least  eight  feet 
in  diameter  each,  or  two  only  of  greater  diameter. 
The  upper  wheel  G  being  an  undershot  one,  if  not 
of  greater  radius  than  four  feet,  which  it  might 
be,  may  have  its  axle  fixed  at  an  altitude  of  at 
least  30  feet,  and  allowing  the  space  of  a  foot 
between  each  water-wheel  for  the  troughs  a  and 
b,  which  collect  and  convey  the  water  from  wheel 
to  wheel,  will  give  a  space  of  22  feet,  occupied  by 
the  three  water-wheels,  leaving  10  feet  for  the 
descent  of  the  water  by  the  trough  c  to  the  cistern 


80  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

B  (which  may  be  four  or  five  feet  in  depth),  and 
thence  to  the  reservoir  C,  which  may  be  three  or 
four  feet  in  depth ;  also  the  cistern  E  may  be  four 
or  five  feet  in  depth,  and  all  of  other  correspond- 
ing dimensions  ad  libitum.  To  produce  the  mo- 
tion, remove  the  plugs  or  stoppers  from  the  lower 
orifices  of  the  cisterns  E  and  B ;  the  water  rush- 
ing from  the  latter  turns  the  great  water-wheel 
D,  which  works  the  expressing-f  ountains  into  the 
upper  cistern  E;  from  the  orifices  of  which,  the 
water  escaping  turns  the  undershot  wheel  G 
(which  may  be  of  larger  diameter,  if  required)  ; 
whence  being  collected  by  the  spout  a,  it  shoots 
over  and  turns  the  wheel  H;  being  collected  by 
the  spout  b}  it  turns  the  overshot  wheel  I ;  whence 
being  collected  by  the  spout  c,  it  is  conveyed  into 
the  cistern  B,  from  thence  to  the  waterwheel  D, 
and,  finally,  into  the  reservoir  C,  from  which  it 
is  raised  again  by  the  fountains  into  the  upper 
cistern  E ;  and  so  on  as  long  as  you  please,  or  as 
long  as  the  whole  keeps  in  repair  and  in  good 
order.  The  apparatus  may,  with  facility,  be 
stopped  for  convenience  at  any  time  without  fear 
of  derangement,  because  the  fountains  carrying 
water  faster  than  it  escapes  from  the  lower  ori- 
fices, the  cisterns  will  be  always  full ;  and  it  may 
be  again  set  in  motion  with  equal  facility.  With 
the  above  proviso,  it  cannot  stop  till  the  prevail- 
ing natural  causes  which  gave  it  motion — viz., 
the  pressure  of  the  atmosphere  and  the  descent  of 
water,  which  in  their  nature  and  tendency  are  of 
themselves  perpetual — shall  be  diverted.  Thus 
you  may  have  the  power,  free  and  disposable,  of 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  81 

three  water-wheels  in  perpetual  motion,  to  be  ap- 
plied to  such  useful  purposes  of  machinery  within 
the  building  as  its  inmates  may  require.  A  sup- 
ply of  water-mills  might  be  thus  provided  in  any 
situation — in  the  center  of  the  metropolis  or  other 
large  towns — in  places  subject  to  a  deficiency  of 
rivulets  suitable  for  mills  on  the  common  system. 
Neither  would  there  be  any  necessity  for  resort- 
ing to  rivers,  or  raising  immense  buildings  upon 
their  banks;  wherever  there  was  a  convenient 
house,  it  might  be  readily  appropriated  with  little 
further  expense  than  machinery. 
Yours,  etc., 

ED.  "Vocis  RATIONIS." 
Jan.  10,  1831. 

Bockler's  Plates 

In  1662  George  Andrew  Bockler  published 
a  work  on  mechanics.  The  work  is  replete  with 
fine  drawings.  Not  a  great  deal  of  space  is  de- 
voted to  Perpetual  Motion  devices,  but  the  fol- 
lowing three  plates  which  are  numbered  ISO,  151 
and  152  in  his  work  are  shown  as  Perpetual  Mo- 
tion devices. 

These  devices  do  not  appear  to  have  been  the 
inventions  of  Bockler  himself,  but  are  devices 
noticed  by  him.  They  are  not  explained  with  any 
considerable  detail 

Figure  150  is  "A  Water  Screw,"  and  it  is 
stated  that  the  inventor  intends  it  for  a  Perpetual 
Motion  device,  and  it  is  further  stated  that  he  has 


PERPETUAL   MOTION 


FIG.  iso. 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  83 

scarcely  worked  out  his  purpose.  The  author 
states  that  the  excellence  consists  in  the  propor- 
tion and  distribution  of  the  wheel,  balls  and 
weights,  and  says  further  that  he  does  not  de- 
scribe it  in  detail,  and  that  it  is  his  intention  to 
publish  at  a  future  time  a  separate  treatise  on 
Perpetual  Motion  in  which  this  and  other  similar 
machines  will  be  considered. 

He  gives  the  first  as  Fig.  150,  "A  Water- 
screw/'  the  purpose  of  which  is  not  quite  so  ob- 
vious as  to  be  understood  at  the  first  view  of  the 
figure ;  for  the  inventor  intimates  that  he  intends 
it  for  a  perpetuum  mobile.  He  has,  however, 
scarcely  worked  out  his  purpose,  as  we  may, 
nevertheless,  say  without  any  prejudice  to  the 
inventor.  Nor  will  we  here  describe  how  the  ex- 
cellence of  this  work  consists  in  the  proportion 
and  distribution  of  the  wheel,  and  the  balls  or 
weights,  because  it  is  our  intention  to  publish,  at 
a  future  time,  a  separate  treatise  on  the  per- 
petuum mobile,  in  which  we  shall  consider  this 
and  several  similar  machines. 

Figure  151  is  "A  Water  Screw,"  having  a 
grindstone  for  cutlery.  The  author  remarks 
concerning  this  machine  as  follows : 

This  machine  also  is  intended  for  a  per- 
petuum mobile.  The  inventor  discharges  water 
from  the  reservoir  A,  by  the  canal  B,  on  the 
water-wheel  C,  which  turns  the  open  screw-cylin- 
der D,  by  means  of  the  toothed  wheel  E,  the  cog- 
wheel F,  the  spoked  wheel  G,  together  with  the 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


Pro.  15!v 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  85 

cylinder  H,  and  the  spoked  wheel  I,  whilst  this 
spoked  wheel  I,  catching  the  small  cog-wheel  L, 
together  with  the  cylinder  M,  and  the  handle  R, 
turns  the  small  spoked  wheel  of  the  screw-cylin- 
der H,  and  the  screw-cylinder  itself,  and  thus 
draws  up  again  the  water  discharged  from  the 
reservoir  A  through  the  spiral  screw  Q.  In 
order  to  render  this  machine  useful,  a  couple  of 
grindstones  are  placed  on  the  cylinder  D.  Con- 
cerning this  machine,  it  is  particularly  to  be  con- 
sidered, whether  a  sufficient  amount  of  water  can 
be  raised  again,  as  has  been  frequently  remarked 
before  about  similar  works. 

Figure  152  is  said  to  represent  "A  Double 
Water  Screw,  with  Double  Pump,"  and  the  au- 
thor observes: 

This  machine  is,  on  the  whole,  similar  to  the 
preceding  ones.  The  water  is  discharged  from 
the  round  or  square  reservoir  A,  by  B,  on  the 
water-wheel  C.  A  continual  supply  of  water  for 
the  water-wheel  is  provided  as  follows:  The 
crown  wheel  H  is  fixed  on  the  upright  cylinder 
M,  and  is  turned  by  the  revolutions  of  the  cylin- 
der, whilst  it  turns  at  the  same  time  the  upper 
wheel  L,  which,  acting  on  the  spokes  of  the  double 
screw  K,  K,  draws  up  sufficient  water  by  I,  I,  and 
then,  as  stated,  discharges  it  by  B,  on  the  wheel  C. 

The  machine  may  be  rendered  useful  by  fur- 
nishing the  cylinder  D  with  the  double  crank  E, 
to  drive  the  two  pistons  of  the  tubes  F,  F,  which 
lift  the  water  through  the  pipes  G,  G,  into  the 
reservoir  N,  whence  it  may  be  carried  off  for 
service. 


86 


PERPETUAL   MOTION 


PIG. 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  si 

John  Linley's  Hydraulic  Device.     1831 

An  account  of  this  was  published  in  1831  in 
Mechanics'  Magazine,  and  is  as  follows: 

32.  Perpetual  Water-wheels  and  Pumps 
(vol.  14,  1831). — A  correspondent  gives  a  de- 
scription of  a  plan  which  he  says  he  believes  to 
be  entirely  original,  and  not  without  consider- 
able claims  to  plausibility,  thus: 


Let  abed  represent  a  wooden  cistern,  or 
trough,  half  filled  with  water;  E  F  G,  three 
overshot  water-wheels,  supported  by  the  up- 
right piece;  K  is  another  cistern,  or  trough, 
filled  with  water  up  to  the  dotted  lines;  P  is  a 
syphon  to  convey  water  from  the  lower  to  the 
upper  cistern  K;  R  is  a  beam  supported  from 


88  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

the  cistern;  S  T  U  are  moveable  cranks  at- 
tached to  the  horizontal  shafts  through  the 
center  of  the  water-wheels — each  crank  has  a 
connecting-rod  to  the  beam  R;  V  W  are  two 
curved  spouts  to  convey  water  from  one  wheel 
to  another.  It  may  be  well  here  to  premise 
that  each  water-wheel  has  a  pump  and  beam, 
as  only  one  is  seen  in  the  section. 

Now,  in  order  to  put  the  machine  in  mo- 
tion, it  is  only  necessary  to  draw  a  portion  of 
water  from  the  syphon  over  the  wheel  E,  which 
immediately  revolves,  consequently  the  pump 
L  M  draws  water  from  the  lower  to  the  upper 
cistern  K.  Now,  the  water  passing  over  the 
wheel  E  is  collected  by  means  of  the  curved 
spout  V,  and  is  conveyed  upon  the  middle 
wheel  F,  which  also  gives  motion  to  another 
pump,  and  draws  in  like  manner.  Again,  the 
water  passing  over  the  middle  wheel,  is  col- 
lected as  before  by  another  curved  spout  W; 
consequently,  the  lower  wheel  is  put  in  action, 
accompanied  with  another  pump.  Hence  it  is 
obvious  that  three  water-wheels  and  three 
pumps  are  worked  by  one  stream  of  water  from 
the  syphon.  What  more  is  required  to  per- 
petuate its  motion?  John  Linley. 

Wicker  Sheffield,  May  28,  1830. 

Device  of  Author  of  the  "Voice  of  Reason" 

In  1831  a  contributor  who  signed  himself 
Author  of  the  "Voice  of  Reason/'  furnished  to 
the  scientific  journals  of  England  an  account  of 
what  he  claimed  was  a  Perpetual  Motion  Device 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  t  89 

invented  by  him.  It  should  be  said  to  his  credit 
that  he  claimed  no  surplus  power  for  his  device — 
only  that  it  would  run  itself.  He,  in  fact,  stated 
that  his  machine  could  not  perform  more  than 
the  simple  operation  of  pumping  its  own  water. 

The  principle  upon  which  he  relied  is  suffi- 
ciently shown  by  the  following  figure,  and  the 
following  excerpt  from  the  contributed  article : 

Observing  that  persons  no  less  distinguished 
than  Bishop  Wilkins,  the  Marquis  of  Worcester, 
etc.,  have  amused  themselves  with  such  things  as 
perpetual  motion,  it  may  be  some  apology  for  a 
humble  individual  residing  as  I  do  in  a  very  re- 
tired part  of  the  country — scarcely  within  reach 
of  much  society — to  confess  that  by  way  of  a 
little  rational  amusement  and  relief  to  the  mind, 
I  have  at  times,  amid  a  variety  of  other  investiga- 
tions and  inventions,  amused  myself  amongst  the 
rest,  with  this  of  perpetual  motion.  The  result 
I  will,  with  your  permission,  lay  before  your  read- 
ers. That  I  trespass  upon  your  pages,  you  are 
indebted  to  your  correspondent,  Mr.  Linley, 
whose  invention  I  thought  might  partially  lead 
to  an  anticipation  of  one  of  my  own,  a  model  of 
which  I  constructed  a  short  time  ago.  The  sys- 
tem which  first  came  to  my  mind,  as  likely  to 
lead  to  the  accomplishment  of  perpetual  motion, 
was  that  of  the  syphon;  experimenting  with 
which,  opened  discoveries  that  might  prove  useful 
in  hydrostatics.  Amongst  these  was  a  mode  of 
equalizing  the  horizontal  surface  of  the  water  in 
two  separate  vessels  of  different  altitudes.  The 


90 


PERPETUAL   MOTION 


following  sketch  will  afford  an  idea  of  my  inven- 
tion. 


Let  A  be  a  vessel,  having  two  orifices,  one  at 
the  bottom  of  it,  a,  and  the  other  open  at  the  top 
for  waste  water  b,  filled  to  the  brim.  B,  a  reser- 
voir, so  far  filled  with  water  as  not  to  come  in 
contact  with  the  bottom  of  the  great  wheel  C, 
whose  axle  turns  in  the  wood  c,  attached  to  the 
side  of  the  reservoir ;  d,  a  crank  fixed  to  the  axle 
of  the  great  water-wheel,  which  turning  moves 
up  and  down  the  rod  e,  attached  to  the  beam  E, 
which  works  the  pump  D,  having  its  cylinder  in- 
serted in  the  reservoir  B ;  /,  an  upright  attached 
to  the  upper  vessel  A,  to  form  a  support  for  the 
beam  E ;  the  whole,  together  with  the  cylinder  of 


PERPETUAL    MOTION  91 

the  pump,  being  supported  and  tied  together  by 
the  woodwork  g  g  g. 

To  produce  the  motion,  draw  the  plug  from 
the  orifice  a,  from  which  the  water  gushing  out 
with  considerable  force  will  immediately  turn  the 
water-wheel,  which  communicating  motion,  by 
the  crank  d  and  rod  e,  to  the  beam  E,  will  cause 
the  pump  D  to  be  worked,  the  water  from  the 
spout  passing  into  the  upper  vessel  A.  Now,  the 
cylinder  of  the  pump,  if  one  only  be  used,  must 
be  of  suitable  dimensions,  or  the  velocity  of  its 
movement  so  increased  by  means  of  a  multiply- 
ing-wheel  as  to  enable  it  to  discharge  water  into 
th  upper  vessel  A  faster  than  the  same  escapes 
through  the  lower  orifice  a;  consequently,  the  ves- 
sel A  will  soon  overflow  from  the  capacious  open- 
ing at  b,  to  which  a  trough  is  attached,  which  col- 
lecting the  waste  water,  causes  it  to  descend  also 
upon  the  circumference  of  the  water-wheel ;  thus 
contributing  to  its  movement,  and  at  the  same 
time  tending  to  preserve  an  uniform  supply  of 
water  in  the  reservoir  for  the  continued  action  of 
the  pump.  Hence  you  have  a  perpetual  motion, 
so  long  as  the  whole  keeps  in  repair  and  in  good 
order,  which  is  all  that  can  be  expected  of  any 
perpetual  motion,  constructed  as  it  must  be  of 
perishable  materials. 

But  of  what  use  are  all  the  perpetual  motion 
machines,  if  they  can  perform  no  other  work 
than  that  of  keeping  themselves  in  motion  ?  For 
it  is  evident,  in  the  case  of  my  machine,  that  if  I 
wish  to  increase  the  power  of  the  wheel,  fixed  as 
it  is  in  size,  radius,  etc.,  I  must  increase  the  jet  of 


92  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

water,  and  consequently  the  pumps  must  be  made 
of  corresponding  dimensions,  or  exert  a  corre- 
sponding increase  of  force  or  velocity  to  replace 
the  water ;  so  that  it  is  evident,  neither  Mr.  Lin- 
ley's  machine  nor  mine,  in  their  present  fixed 
state,  can  perform  more  than  the  simple  operation 
of  pumping  their  own  water. 

And  this  is  the  case  with  all  the  perpetual 
motion  machines  I  have  ever  observed — they  can 
exert  no  useful  or  disposable  power  beyond  that 
of  keeping  up  an  equilibrium,  or  getting  beyond 
the  point  of  equilibrium. 

Yours,  etc., 
AUTHOR  OF  THE  "VOICE  OF  REASON." 

An  Italian  Device 

In  1825  there  was  published  in  London  in 
Mechanics'  Magazine  the  account  of  a  very  an- 
cient invention  by  an  Italian.  He  had  written  an 
account  of  his  invention  in  Latin.  It  had  been 
translated  and  furnished  to  Mechanics'  Maga- 
zine by  a  correspondent  of  that  Magazine.  The 
communication  so  furnished  as  published  is  as 
follows : 

The  underwritten  is  translated  from  an 
ancient  Latin  book  *  *  *  (entitled  "De 
Simia  Naturae,"  Autore  Roberto  Fludd),  which 
treats  of  every  science  known  at  the  time  it  was 
published,  and  largely  of  the  science  of  mechanics. 
What  followed  I  have  extracted  merely  to  show 
that  the  discovery  of  the  perpetual  motion  was  as 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


93 


nearly  attained  then,  perhaps,  as  it  is  now. — I 

am,  &c.,  P. 

Of  another  useful  invention  for  raising  water 
easily,  by  the  which  a  certain  Italian  ven- 
tured to  boast  that  he  had  discovered  the 
Perpetual  Motion. 
DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  INSTRUMENT. — A  is 

an  exhauster,  or  pump. 


B,  a  little  wheel  placed  at  the  bottom  of  the 
exhauster,  about  which  pestils,  or  circular  flaps 


94  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

of  prepared  leather,  revolve  lightly,  so  that  they 
rise  easily:  they  are  connected  by  crooked  iron. 
C  C  C,  pestils,  or  circular  leathers,  by  means 
of  which  the  water  is  raised  in  the  pump. 

D,  a   wheel,   by  which   the   said   circular 
leathers  are  raised  up. 

E,  a  pinion,  moving  the  wheels  D  and  B. 

F  is  a  wheel,  continued  from  the  wheel  G, 
whose  teeth  the  pinion  E  propels  circularly. 

H,  a  pinion  moving  the  wheel  G. 

USE  OF  THE  INSTRUMENT. — This  instrument 
is  classed  with  those  of  the  first  sort,  on  which 
account  it  is  absolutely  necessary  for  a  multitude 
*  of  purposes,  because  it  bears  upward  a  large 
quantity  of  water  with  the  least  labor;  for  the 
number  of  wheels  is  not  variable ;  but  the  length 
of  the  receiver  A  is  about  the  proportion  of  35 
feet,  and  its  breadth  one  foot  and  one-third.  The 
concavities  of  it  should  be  made  exactly  round, 
that  they  may  not  lose  any  water  by  contracting 
in  their  ascension;  the  concavity  of  the  pump, 
therefore,  should  be  perfectly  round.  The  great 
water-wheel  should  be  24  feet  diameter,  and  the 
wheel  G  20  feet. 

The  Italian,  deceived  by  his  own  thoughts, 
conceived  that  as  much  water  would  be  raised 
by  this  pump  as  would  keep  the  wheel  perpetually 
in  motion ;  because  he  said  that  more  force  was 
required  at  the  extremity  of  this  machine  than  at 
the  centre ;  but  because  he  calculated  the  propor- 
tions of  power  wrong,  he  was  deceived  in  practice. 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  95 

P.  Valentine  Stansel's  Device.    Prior  to  1657 
(Exact  date  not  known)  : 

A,  B,  C  is  a  large  cistern  of  water,  above 
which  is  another  cistern  D,  E,  which  is  supplied 
from  the  lower  cistern  by  the  pump  X,  operated 
by  the  water-wheel  M,  N,  the  crank  L  of  which 
is  attached  by  a  rod  K  to  the  horizontal  beam  H, 
I,  K,  which  swings  at  H,  from  the  side  of  the 
upper  cistern,  as  shown  at  F,  G,  H.  The  force- 


FlG.t. 


pump  X,  on  the  depression  of  the  plunger  O, 
causes  the  water  to  rise  up  the  vertical  pipe  P,  Q, 
R,  S,  and  thence  discharge  itself  into  the  cistern 
D,  from  which  a  small  portion  is  allowed  to  es- 
cape through  the  short  pipe  T,  V,  whence  it  falls 
on  the  water-wheel,  and  so  on  continuously. 


96 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


Vogel's  Device 

In  1847,  A.  F.  Vogel,  of  Leipzig,  invented 
what  he  called 

"Hydrostatic  General  Mobile." 
It  was  described  at  the  time  in  a  pamphlet, 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  97 

and  its  operation  is  sufficiently  illustrated  by  the 
following  annexed  figure  and  explanation: 

A  water-wheel,  A,  B,  C,  D,  raising  the  water 
by  means  of  which  it  is  to  be  operated.  This  is 
effected,  he  supposes,  by  the  wheel  acting  at  A, 
by  the  pressure  of  one  of  six  pins  D,  on  a  vertical 
rod,  attached  to  a  horizontal  beam,  working  on 
a  centre,  and  its  opposite  end  being  secured  to  the 
pump-rod  of  the  barrel  M,  N.  The  projector  has 
an  idea  that  by  means  of  flaps,  which  close  the 
cells  of  the  wheel  as  they  pass  under  rollers  at  B, 
while  at  C  there  is  a  similar  contrivance  to  open 
the  flaps  and  let  out  the  water,  and  therefore  by 
its  retention  on  the  descending  side  it  will  become 
more  effective  in  turning  the  wheel. 

A  Water  Wheel-Driven  Pump 

This  device  is  claimed  by  the  writer  to  be  an 
adaptation  of  Rangely's  Patent  Roller  Pump.  A 
description  by  the  writer,  whose  name  is  not 
given,  was  published  in  Mechanics'  Magazine, 
1823,  in  the  following  language: 

I  think  it  possible  to  produce  a  self-moving 
power  by  such  a  machine  as  that,  a  drawing  of 
which  is  now  prefixed.  From  its  very  simple  con- 
struction, a  very  brief  description  is  necessary. 
A  represents  a  pump  immersed  in  a  reservoir  B  ; 
the  pump  is  worked  by  the  rotary  motion  of  the 
water-wheel  C,  which  is  four  feet  in  diameter. 
On  the  shaft  of  the  water-wheel  is  the  drum- 
wheel  D,  working  by  a  small  cord  the  wheel  E, 
on  the  axis  of  the  pump  discharging  the  water  by 


98 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  99 

the  pipe  F  into  a  reservoir  G  over  the  water- 
wheel.  In  this  reservoir  is  a  cock  to  regulate  the 
quantity  of  water  to  be  discharged  on  the  wheel. 
The  wheel  on  the  shaft  of  the  water-wheel  being 
nine  inches  diameter,  and  the  wheel  on  the  axis 
of  the  pump  three  in  diameter,  the  latter  will  con- 
sequently make  three  revolutions  for  one  of  the 
water-wheel.  As  the  pump  is  not  required  to 
turn  with  great  velocity,  the  speed  might  be 
regulated  by  the  quantity  of  water  thrown  on 
the  water-wheel,  the  latter  being  four  feet  in 
diameter,  and  the  wheel  on  its  shaft  nine  inches ; 
consequently  the  radius  or  arm  of  the  wheel,  has 
near  4>4  powers  to  counteract  the  friction  of  the 
axis  of  the  pump  and  water-wheel,  and  of  a  fine 
cord  passed  over  the  wheels  D  and  E.  If  neces- 
sary, the  friction  of  the  machine  might  be  still 
farther  reduced  by  the  axes  of  the  pump  and 
water-wheel  being  made  to  run  in  gudgeons  with 
friction  rollers. 

The  pipe  H  is  intended  to  convey  the  surplus 
water  from  the  reservoir  over  the  wheel  to  the 
reservoir  below. 

The  pump  might  easily  be  turned  by  a  cog- 
wheel ;  but  this  is  unnecessary,  as  the  cord  pass- 
ing over  the  drum-wheels  will  do  equally  well, 
and  is,  besides,  a  more  simple  method. 

"A  Journeyman  Mechanic's"  Device 

The  gentleman,  whose  real  name  is  unknown, 
but  who  styled  himself  "A  Journeyman  Me- 
chanic/' made  an  invention,  an  account  of  which 
appeared  in  "Mechanics'  Magazine,"  in  1831.  It 


100  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

was  an  attempted  adaptation  of  the  wellknown 
principles  of  Barker's  Mill. 

The  inventor  undoubtedly  thought  he  had 
successfully  solved  the  long  sought  problem  of 
Self-Motive  Power,  and  he  benevolently  and 
graciously  offered  to  contribute  his  valuable  in- 
vention to  the  world,  having  "no  wish  to  profit  by 
monopoly/' 

We  cannot  but  contrast  the  plenary  benevo- 
lence of  his  heart  with  the  mechanical  paucity  of 
his  head.  He  describes  his  invention  with  the 
following  language  and  figure : 

The  inventor  offers  the  accompanying 
sketch,  with  description  of  an  Hydraulic  Mover, 
for  communicating  power  to  machinery,  and  re- 
cently invented  by  him : — 

A  is  a  hollow  cylinder  or  pipe,  forming  the 
upright  shaft  of  a  mill  on  Barker's  well-known 
and  effective  centrifugal  principle. 

B  B,  the  lateral  pipes  from  ditto ;  a  a,  the  jets 
of  water,  whose  centrifugal  force  gives  the  mo- 
tion. 

C,  beam  to  support  the  machinery,  built  at 
each  end  into  the  wall  D  D. 

E  E,  two  cog-wheels  to  communicate  the 
motion  to 

P,  the  rod  of  a  pump  (on  Shalder's  prin- 
ciple), which  derives  its  supply  from  the  well  into 
which  the  water  from  the  pipes  is  conducted, 
which  it  raises  to 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  ioi 

H,  a  cistern  into  which  one  end  of  a  syphon, 
I  I,  is  introduced,  the  other  end  of  which  is 
soldered  with  an  air-tight  joint  into  the  top  of 
pipe  A,  to  which  it  thus  supplies  the  water  which 
is  continually  running  from  the  pipes  B  B,  pro- 


ducing a  constant  motion  which  may  be  given 
by  carrying  the  horizontal  rod  F  through  the  wall 
D,  to  machinery  for  any  purpose.  And,  if  the 
statement  in  the  pamphlet  on  Hydrostatics,  by 


102  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

the  Society  for  the  Diffusion  of  Useful  Knowl- 
edge, as  to  the  effect  of  Barker's  Centrifugal 
Mill,  be  correct,  the  power  gained  must  be  very 
great. 

The  advantages  of  the  invention  are  obvious. 
The  whole  of  the  machinery  for  a  large  factory 
may  be  contained  underground,  which,  indeed, 
will  be  the  most  desirable  situation  for  it,  and 
valuable  room  will  thus  be  saved ;  the  expense  of 
erection  will  not  be  great ;  and  the  saving  in  coals, 
&c.,  necessary  for  a  steam-engine  of  the  like 
powers,  will  be  immense.  I  might,  perhaps,  have 
secured  much  benefit  to  myself  by  taking  out  a 
patent  for  the  discovery,  but  I  have  no  wish  to 
profit  by  monopoly.  All  I  desire  is,  that  it  may 
be  recollected  that  the  machine  was  invented  by 
one  who  is 

A  JOURNEYMAN  MECHANIC. 

James  Black's  Device 

In  1858,  James  Black,  Machine  Maker,  of 
Edinburgh,  Scotland,  applied  for  a  British  patent 
on 

"An  improved  mode  or  means  of  obtaining, 
applying,  and  transmitting  motive  power/' 

The  expected  operation  is  sufficiently  illus- 
trated by  the  following  figure  and  excerpt  from 
the  specifications : 

A  face  plate  or  disc  is  fixed  on  an  axis,  and 
has  formed  in  it  a  number  of  wipers,  eccentrics, 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


103 


or  curved  paths,  which 
receive  (in  the  space 
taken  out)  a  pulley  or 
roller,  free  to  revolve 
on  its  own  axis,  and  at- 
tached to  an  adjustable 
lever  in  equal  balance 
With  the  desired  lift  or 
pressure.  On  rotary 
motion  being  communi- 
cated to  the  plate  (by  a  band  or  otherwise),  the 
pulley  or  roller  moves  round  the  eccentrics  or 
paths,  imparting  a  rocking  motion  to  the  lever 
(similar  to  the  action  of  a  beam),  wherefrom 
motion  may  be  transmitted  or  applied,  as  desired, 
or  converted  by  suitable  appliances  into  any  de- 
scription of  motion. 

In  connection  herewith,  a  pump  may  be  set 
in  a  tank  of  water,  and  a  tank  added  above ;  on 
the  same  shaft  with  the  face  plate  is  a  water- 
wheel  driven  by  the  water  from  above;  when  it 
passes  the  centre,  the  water  falls  into  the  lower 
tank  and  is  pumped  up  again;  whatever  weight 
of  water  is  in  each  stroke  is  equalized  by  a  bal- 
ance weight  on  the  lever ;  the  number  of  eccentrics 
and  size  of  water-wheel  may  be  increased  to  cor- 
respond with  the  quantity  of  water  required  to 
secure  a  desired  power. 

One  means  of  imparting  rotary  motion  from 
my  arrangement  is  by  attaching  at  the  end  of  the 
lever  a  crank  and  connecting  rod  of  same  radius 
as  the  lift  of  the  lever,  carried  over  the  centre  by 
a  fly  wheel. 


104  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

The  invention  is  applicable  to  the  actuating 
of  pumps,  mincing  machines,  and  other  ma- 
chinery, instruments,  and  apparatus,  and  to  parts 
thereof ;  to  propelling  on  land  and  water,  and  to 
various  motive  purposes. 

Fig.  1  is  an  elevation,  showing  an  arrange- 
ment for  obtaining  power  according  to  my  inven- 
tion. X  is  the  general  framework  of  the  appa- 
ratus ;  A,  a  disc  or  plate,  mounted  on  a  shaft  E, 
and  formed  with  curved  paths  B ;  the  same  shaft 
E  also  carries  a  water-wheel  W,  provided  with 
vanes  or  blades  w  w,  as  is  usual;  C  is  a  roller, 
working  in  the  paths  B,  and  connected  to  a  lever 
D,  attached  to  rods  d  d  of  pumps  G  G.  G1  is  a 
balance  weight  at  the  further  end  of  the  lever, 
which  is  supported  in  the  bearing  /;  H  H  are 
tanks  fixed  below  the  water-wheel,  and  I  is  a 
tank  set  above  it ;  i  i  are  supply  pipes,  for  con- 
veying the  water  from  tanks  H  H  to  the  tank  I ; 
j  j,  escape  water  pipes.  The  water  falling  from 
the  tank  I  on  the  wheel  W,  drives  that  wheel  in 
the  usual  manner ;  and  when  it  passes  the  centre, 
the  water  falls  into  the  lower  tanks  H,  from  which 
it  is  pumped  up  again  into  the  upper  tank  I  by  the 
pumps  G,  actuated  by  the  levers  E,  driven  by  the 
rollers  C,  in  the  pathways  B  of  the  face  plate  A, 
as  the  latter  is  caused  to  revolve  by  the  revolution 
of  the  water-wheel  W  on  the  same  shaft  with  it, 
thus  producing  a  continuous  motive  power. 

Archimedean  Screw  and  Liquid 

This  device  was  made  public  by  a  communi- 
cation from  a  correspondent  to  "Mechanics' 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  105 

Magazine"  in  England,  in  1823.    The  device  is 
described  as  follows : 

A  is  the  screw  turning  on  its  two  pivots  G  G ; 
B  is  a  cistern  to  be  filled  above  the  level  of  the 
lower  aperture  of  the  screw  with  mercury  (which 
I  conceive  to  be  preferable  to  water  on  many  ac- 


counts, and  principally  because  it  does  not  adhere 
or  evaporate  like  water) ;  C  is  a  reservoir,  which, 
when  the  screw  is  turned  round,  receives  the 
mercury  which  falls  from  the  top;  D  is  a  pipe, 
which  by  the  force  of  gravity  conveys  the  mercury 
from  the  reservoir  C  on  to  (what,  for  want  of  a 
better  term,  may  be  called)  the  float-board  E, 
fixed  at  right  angles  to  the  centre  of  the  screw, 
and  furnished  at  its  circumference  with  ridges 


106  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

or  floats  to  intercept  the  mercury,  the  moment 
and  weight  of  which  will  cause  the  float-board 
and  screw  to  revolve,  until,  by  the  proper  inclina- 
tion of  the  floats,  the  mercury  falls  into  the  re- 
ceiver F,  from  whence  it  again  falls  by  its  spout 
into  the  cistern  G,  where  the  constant  revolution 
of  the  screw  takes  it  up  again  as  before. 

To  overcome  this  (the  power  of  the  fluid  in 
the  screw  to  turn  it  backwards),  I  thought  of 
placing  a  metallic  ball,  or  some  mercury,  on  the 
ledge  above  the  floats  (as  at  H  in  the  drawing), 
of  just  so  much  weight,  and  no  more,  as  would 
exactly  neutralize  this  backward  endeavor; 
whether  or  no  this  would  increase  the  difficulty 
of  raising  the  mercury  in  the  screw  I  cannot  say, 
having  never  tried  the  experiment. 

John  Sims's  Problem.    1830 
John  Sims,  a  Welshman,  furnished  the  fol- 
lowing suggested  device  to  "Mechanics'  Maga- 
zine" in  1830: 

Let  us  suppose  an  apparatus  to  be  con- 
structed of  the  description  represented  in  the  an- 
nexed engraving:  a  is  a  water  cistern,  whence 
water  is  to  be  raised  by  the  pump  b,  to  supply  the 
cistern;  c  d  is  a  small  pipe  with  a  stop-cock  at  e, 
which  lets  the  water  from  cistern  c  into  a  strong 
water-tight  bellows  /.  The  bellows  have  no  valve, 
but  a  cock  g  to  let  out  the  water  into  cistern  a;  h 
is  a  weight,  and  i  a  rack  on  the  top  of  the  bellows 
which  works  in  the  cogs  on  the  axle  of  the  large 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


107 


cog-wheel  /;  ;  turns  the  little  cog-wheel  k,  that 
gives  motion  to  the  arm  I,  and  works  the  pump- 
handle  m;  n  is  an  upright  rod  on  the  end  of  the 
lever  o,  which  rod  has  a  turn  at  p  and  q  for  the 
top  of  the  bellows  to  press  against  in  ascending 
and  descending.  The  water  being  let  into  the 


bellows  from  the  pipe  d,  will  cause  the  top  of  the 
bellows,  with  the  weight  and  rack,  to  ascend  till 
the  former  reaches  and  presses  p,  which  will  move 
the  lever  o  and  the  arm  or  rod  r ;  by  which  means 
the  stop-cock  e  of  the  pipe  will  be  shut,  and  the 
cock  g  opened,  and  the  water  let  in  from  the  bel- 


108  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

lows  into  the  cistern  a.  The  top  of  the  bellows 
will  now  descend  till  it  comes  down  and  presses 
the  turn  q,  which  will  again  shut  the  cock  g  and 
open  e,  on  which  the  water  will  again  flow  from 
the  pipe  into  the  bellows,  and  cause  the  top  with 
the  rack  to  ascend. 

Now  it  is  generally  known  that  the  power  of 
an  hydrostatic  bellows  is  thus  calculated : — 

As  the  area  of  the  orifice  or  section  of  the 
pipe, 

To  the  area  of  the  bellows : 

The  weight  of  water  in  the  pipe  is, 

To  the  weight  the  bellows  will  sustain  on  the 
top-board. 

We  will  suppose,  therefore,  the  pipe  d  to  be 
10  feet  high,  with  a  bore  equal  to  1  square  inch, 
which  would  give  120  cubic  inches,  and  about  4)4 
Ibs.  of  water.  Let  us  suppose,  also,  the  boards 
of  the  bellows  to  be  20  inches  square,  which  gives 
400  square  inches.  When  the  water  is  let  from 
the  pipe  into  the  bellows,  there  will  be  a  pressure 
of  4%  Ibs.  on  every  square  inch,  which  on  the 
whole  will  amount  to  1,700  Ibs.  Now  take  half  of 
this  force  and  place  it  on  the  top  of  the  bellows ; 
there  will  then  be  a  working  power  of  850  Ibs.  up 
and  down,  and  allowing  the  bellows  to  raise  one 
foot,  it  will  contain  about  20  gallons  of  water. 
Now  the  question  is,  will  not  the  machinery,  with 
a  moving  power  of  2  feet  and  850  Ibs.,  raise  20 
gallons  of  water  10  feet,  which  would,  of  course, 
cause  the  motion  to  be  perpetual? — JOHN  SIMS. 

Pwllheli,  North  Wales,  Dec.  11,  1829. 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  109 

The  foregoing  device  brought  from  another 
correspondent  the  following : 

Had  Mr.  Sims  gained  the  power  exerted  by 
the  descending  weight  on  his  bellows,  he  would 
have  been  fortunate  indeed ;  but  it  unfortunately 
happens  that  its  returning  power  (or  an  equiva- 
lent) was  expended  in  raising  it. 

With  respect  to  his  question,  whether  a  cir- 
culation of  water  would  be  kept  up  by  the  ar- 
rangement, I  answer,  no;  as  the  velocities  will  be 
in  the  inverse  ratios  to  the  forces,  and  the  de- 
scending column  of  120  inches  must  expend  itself 
forty  times  to  raise  the  ascending  one  to  the 
height  of  twelve  inches,  as  proposed : — 

10  ft.  or  120  in.  X  40  =  4,800,  lifting  force 
or  power. 

400  in.  X  12  =  4,800,  opposing  force,  resist- 
ance, or  weight. 

Here  is  an  equilibrium,  and  nothing  gained 
to  overcome  friction  or  the  weight  of  the  atmos- 
phere on  the  piston  of  the  pump.  Were  it  possible 
to  annihilate  both  friction  and  atmospheric 
weight,  even  then,  unless  the  power  exceed  the 
weight,  the  power  would  not  be  a  moving,one. 

A  Perpetual  Pump,  by  an  Unknown  Inventor 

In  Volume  I  of  "Mechanics'  Magazine/' 
1823,  appears  an  account  by  a  correspondent  of  a 
Perpetual  Motion  device  which  is  illustrated  by 
the  figure,  and  the  quotations  following : 

a  b  c  d  is  the  section  of  the  reservoir,  &c., 
showing  the  wheel,  the  pump,  &c.  A  B  is  an 


110 


PERPETUAL   MOTION 


overshot  water-wheel;  C  D  the  working  beam; 
E  the  pump ;  F  a  pipe  from  the  top  of  the  pump, 
through  which  the  water  was  to  fall  upon  the 
wheel ;  C  G  an  arm,  communicating,  by  means  of 
a  crank  attached  to  an  horizontal  shaft  through 
the  centre  of  the  wheel,  motion  to  the  lever  or 
working  beam,  and  so  raising  water  from  the 
reservoir  by  means  of  the  pump ;  H  I  the  water. 
It  was  supposed  that  the  water  which  had  fallen 
upon  the  wheel  into  the  reservoir  would  be  raised 
by  means  of  the  pump,  fall  through  the  horizontal 
pipe,  and  so  produce  a  continued  rotary  motion. 


The  persistence  of  Perpetual  Motion  work- 
ers is  amusingly  illustrated  by  the  inventions  of 
William  Willcocks  Sleigh  and  Burrowes  Will- 
cocks  Arthur  Sleigh.  Their  devices  were  so  ex- 
tremely complicated  and  not  susceptible  of  being 
understood,  and  hence  are  mentioned  rather  than 
shown  in  this  work. 

In  1845,  William  Willcocks  Sleigh,  a  doctor 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  111 

of  medicine  and  surgery,  of  Chiswick,  Middlesex, 
England,  applied  for  and  obtained  British  Patent 
on  what  he  called 

"A  Hydro-mechanic  apparatus  for  produc- 
ing motive  power." 

He  took  out  other  patents  on  hydro-mechan- 
ical devices  in  1853,  1856,  and  1860.  Then  in 
1864,  his  son,  Burrowes  Willcocks  Arthur  Sleigh 
took  out  two  patents  on  similar  devices,  and  then 
in  1866,  still  another  patent. 

The  specifications  for  each  of  the  above  men- 
tioned patents  are  lengthy  and  detailed.  The  in- 
ventors evidently  had  the  greatest  confidence  in 
their  efforts,  though  surely  they  never  put  them 
to  actual  test.  They  seemed  to  have  been  me- 
chanically stupid,  and  incapable  of  correct  me- 
chanical thinking,  but  their  efforts  were  so  tire- 
less and  so  earnest  that  we  submit  that  the  Sleigh 
family  had  done  its  full,  fair  share  in  the  efforts 
to  accomplish  Self-Motive  power. 

Equally  amusing  are  the  efforts  of  James 
Smith  of  Seaf  orth,  Liverpool,  and  Sidney  Arthur 
Chease,  Liverpool,  gentlemen:  These  two  co- 
laborers  applied  for  British  patents  on  four  dif- 
ferent Hydro-mechanical  devices — one  in  1858, 
two  in  1863,  and  one  in  1865.  On  three  they 
obtained  patents,  and  on  the  other  one  provincial 
protection.  One  of  them  seems  to  have  been  a 
capitalist,  and  the  other  one  a  machinist.  Their 


112  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

models  were  complicated  beyond  understanding, 
and  apparently  they  were  laboring  in  the  dark 
without  intelligent  plan.  They  seemed  to  have 
thought  that  when  a  complicated  mess  of  ma- 
chinery parts  and  fluid  were  assembled  Perpetual 
Motion  must  somehow  result. 

Nothing  could  be  gained  by  setting  forth 
their  inventions  fully,  but  their  labors  were  so 
great,  and  their  efforts  so  intense  that  we  feel 
like  preserving  their  names  from  oblivion,  and 
hence  we  give  them  mention  here. 

Why  Hydraulic  and  Hydro-Mechanical  De- 
vices for  Obtaining  Perpetual  Motion 
Failed  to  Work 

Next  to  wheels  and  weights,  the  use  of 
liquids  in  a  hydraulic,  hydrostatic,  or  hydro-me- 
chanical manner  have  been  sought  to  be  utilized 
by  Perpetual  Motion  seekers  as  a  means  of  ob- 
taining energy  from  the  machine  not  supplied  to 
the  machine.  The  foregoing  are  only  a  few  of 
the  many  devices  of  that  kind,  but  they  are  the 
most  simple  of  those  that  have  been  brought  to 
light,  and  consequently  better  illustrate  the  man- 
ner in  which  it  has  been  sought  to  utilize  the 
interesting  properties  of  liquid  pressure  and  mo- 
bility in  the  solution  of  the  problem. 

An  examination  of  the  preceding  devices 
discloses  that  in  each  case  the  inventor  sought  by 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  113 

the  energy  of  the  descent  of  a  liquid  to  elevate 
through  the  same  distance  of  ascent  the  same  or 
a  greater  quantity  of  the  same  liquid,  or  in  some 
cases  to  obtain  from  the  pressure  of  a  liquid  a 
greater  force  than  is  required  to  expand  a  bag, 
bellows  or  vessel,  submerged  the  same  distance 
below  the  level. 

The  impossibility  of  all  of  these  schemes  is 
apparent  from  the  same  reasoning  that  is  applied 
to  illustrate  and  show  the  impossibility  of  obtain- 
ing Perpetual  Motion  by  the  use  of  wheels, 
weights,  levers  and  the  force  of  gravity. 

In  each  case  the  basic  idea  and  error  .was  in 
supposing  that  by  some  possibility  the  descent  of 
a  liquid  through  a  given  distance  could  be  made 
to  deliver  more  energy  than  would  be  required 
to  elevate  the  same  quantity  of  liquid  the  same 
distance.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  descent  of  a 
liquid,  the  same  as  any  other  weight,  through  a 
given  distance  represents  exactly  the  amount  of 
energy  necessary  to  elevate  the  same  weight  of 
liquid  through  the  same  distance  measured  verti- 
cally. Some  loss  by  friction  of  the  liquid  in  the 
containing  tubes  is  inevitable  as  well  as  from 
friction  in  the  working  parts  of  the  mechanism. 
Therefore,  as  this  loss  continues,  some  outside 
energy  must  be  supplied.  If  all  friction  could  be 
eliminated  (which  is  an  impossibility)  and  if  the 
liquid  were  started  in  motion,  the  motion  would 


114  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

be  constant,  but  no  energy  could  be  taken  from  it 
for  running  other  machinery  without  reducing 
the  motion. 

There  have  been  many  arguments  on  this 
subject.  We  select  one  which  was  elicited  by  the 
publication  in  "Mechanics'  Magazine"  of  an  ac- 
count of  the  device  of  the  author  of  the  "Voice 
of  Reason."  This  argument  was  published  in 
"Mechanics'  Magazine"  in  1831,  and  is  as  fol- 
lows: 

I  am  induced  to  make  an  attempt  to  demon- 
strate the  utter  impossibility,  under  any  circum- 
stances, of  making  a  water-wheel  that  will  supply 
itself  instead  of  having  any  surplus  power. 

The  accompanying  drawing  represents  part 
of  an  overshot  wheel  in  section,  the  buckets  only 
part  filled,  by  which  the  whole  of  the  water  ex- 
pended continues  to  act  through  a  greater  portion 
of  the  circumference  than  it  otherwise  would  do. 
The  area  of  the  vertical  section  of  the  complement 
of  water  to  each  bucket  is  made  40  inches ;  and 
taking  the  breadth  of  the  wheel  at,  say  28  2-3 
inches,  gives  40  Ibs.  as  the  weight  of  water  in 
each  bucket;  therefore,  as  there  are  12  buckets 
containing  40  Ibs.  each,  No.  13  30  Ibs.,  and  No. 
14  only  20  Ibs.,  altogether  making  a  total  of  530 
Ibs.  acting  on  the  wheel  at  the  same  time; — to 
show  clearly  all  the  effect  that  can  be  expected 
from  this,  I  have  divided  the  horizontal  radius 
into  a  scale  of  40  equals  parts  .(there  being  40  Ibs. 
in  each  bucket)  ;  and  from  the  gravitating  centre 
of  the  fluid  contained  in  each  is  drawn  a  per- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  115 

pendicular  to  the  scale,  where  the  effective  force, 
or  weight  in  each  bucket,  may  be  read  off  as  on 
the  arm  of  a  common  steelyard.  The  weights 
will  be  found  as  follows,  viz : — 

No.  Lbs.  No.  Lbs. 

1  2iy2  ..  8  40 

2  26}4  ..  9 

3  30^  ..  10  38 

4  3324  ..  11 

5  36^4  ..  12  32^ 

6  38^4  ..  12  21 

7  39%  ..  14  12 

It  is  therefore  quite  evident  that,  although 
we  have  530  Ibs.  acting  on  one  side  of  the  wheel, 
a  column  of  water  weighing  446  Ibs.  reacting  at 
the  same  distance  from  the  centre,  on  the  oppo- 
site side,  will  exactly  balance  the  whole  530  Ibs. 
contained  in  the  buckets ;  so  that  about  a  sixth  of 
the  expenditure  rests  on  the  axis  without  pro- 
ducing any  useful  effect,  and  the  wheel  so  loaded 
must  remain  in  a  state  of  rest.  Now,  in  spite  of 
friction  and  the  vis  inertia  of  matter,  if  we  sup- 
pose the  wheel  at  work,  it  can  raise  only  446  Ibs. 
at  the  expense  of  530  Ibs. ;  but  even  if  it  could  raise 
the  whole  530  Ibs.,  we  should  then  be  but  little 
nearer  the  mark,  for  we  must  remember  that  the 
gravitating  centre  of  our  power  falls  through  a 
space  of  only  8  ft.  11  in.,  while  the  water  must  be 
raised  at  least  1 1  ft.  before  it  could  be  laid  on  and 
delivered  clear  of  the  wheel. 

As  a  further  means  of  coming  at  the  end  I 
had  in  view  at  the  commencement  of  this  letter, 


116 


PERPETUAL   MOTION 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  117 

I  will  conclude  with  a  simple  rule  for  calculating 
the  quantity  of  water  a  wheel  of  this  kind  will 
raise : — Multiply  the  number  of  pounds  expended 
in  a  minute  by  the  height  or  diameter  of  the 
wheel  in  feet,  divide  the  product  by  the  height 
(also  in  feet)  of  the  reservoir  to  be  filled,  and  two- 
thirds  of  the  quotient  will  be  the  answer  required. 
Example,  for  the  wheel  above  described,  making 
six  revolutions  per  minute: — 

42  buckets  on  wheel. 
6  revolutions  per  minute. 

252  buckets  filled  per  minute. 
40  the  weight  of  water  in  each  bucket. 


10080  Ibs.  expended  per  minute. 
10  feet  height  of  wheel. 


11)   100800  momentum,  dividing  by  11  feet  as 
the  height  of  reservoir. 


3)9163.636  divided  by  3. 


3054.545  multiplying  by  2. 
2 


6109.09     answer  in  Ibs. 

So  that  for  every  1008  gallons  expended  on  the 
wheel,  we  only  gain  sufficient  power  to  supply  611 
nearly. 

See  also   Chap.   XV,   Bishop  Wilkin's  Work,  appearing  at 
page  297  et  seq.  supra. 


CHAPTER  IV 

PNEUMATIC,    SIPHON    AND    HYDRO- 
PNEUMATIC  DEVICES 

The  Hydrostatical  Paradox 

Next  to  the  wheel  with  levers  and  weights, 
we  believe  this  simple  Hydrostatical  Paradox  has 
more  frequently  occurred  to  mechanical  and 
scientific  tyros  as  a  means  whereby  it  was  hoped 
to  attain  Perpetual  Motion.  There  is  no  record 
that  we  know  of  of  the  name  of  anyone  who  has 
ever  attempted  it,  and,  yet,  the  instances  are 
doubtless  myriads. 

The  author  believes  he  has  heard  dozens  of 
young  persons  mention  it  as  a  means  of  obtain- 
ing a  continuous  flow  of  water. 

In  1828,  Niel  Arnott,  M.  D.,  published  the 
third  edition  of  his  "Elements  of  Physics,  or  Nat- 
ural Philosophy."  At  page  141  under  the  sub- 
ject of  "Mechanics"  he  comments  generally  on 
the  subject  of  Perpetual  Motion,  and  says : 

What  an  infinity  of  vain  schemes — some  of 
them  displaying  great  ingenuity — for  perpetual 
motions,  and  new  mechanical  engines  of  power, 
etc.,  would  have  been  checked  at  once,  had  the 
great  truth  been  generally  understood,  that  no 
form  or  combination  of  machinery  ever  did  or 
ever  can  increase,  in  the  slightest  degree,  the 
quantity  of  power  applied.  Ignorance  of  this  is 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  119 

the  hinge  on  which  most  of  the  dreams  of  me- 
chanical projectors  have  turned.  No  year  passes, 
even  now,  in  which  many  patents  are  not  taken 
out  for  such  supposed  discoveries;  and  the  de- 
luded individuals,  after  selling  perhaps  even  their 
household  goods  to  obtain  the  means  of  securing 
the  supposed  advantages,  often  sink  in  despair, 
when  their  attempts,  instead  of  bringing  riches 
and  happiness  to  their  families,  end  in  disappoint- 
ment and  utter  ruin.  The  frequency  and  eager- 
ness and  obstinacy  with  which  even  talented  indi- 
viduals, owing  to  their  imperfect  knowledge  of 
this  part  of  natural  philosophy,  have  engaged  in 
such  undertakings,  is  a  remarkable  phenomenon 
in  human  nature. 

At  page  270  in  treating  on  "Hydrostatics," 
he  says : 

A  projector  thought  that  the  vessel  of  his 
contrivance,  represented  here,  was  to  solve  the  re- 
nowned problem  of  the  perpetual  motion.  It  was 
goblet-shaped,  lessening  gradu- 
ally towards  the  bottom  until  it 
became  a  tube,  bent  upwards  at 
c,  and  pointing  with  an  open  ex- 
tremity into  the  goblet  again. 
He  reasoned  thus:  A  pint  of 
water  in  the  goblet  a  must  more 
than  counterbalance  an  ounce 
which  the  tube  b  will  contain,  and  must  therefore 
be  constantly  pushing  the  ounce  forward  into  the 
vessel  again  at  a,  and  keeping  up  a  stream  or  cir- 
culation, which  will  cease  only  when  the  water 


120  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

dries   up.     He  was   confounded   when   a  trial 
showed  him  the  same  level  in  a  and  in  b. 

Pickering's  Device 

In  1858,  Peter  Pickering,  Landed  Proprietor 
of  Danzig,  Prussia,  applied  for  a  British  pat- 
ent on 

"An  Atmospheric  Engine." 
It  may  be  described  as  follows : 
1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  are  cylinders  18  feet  long  or  high 
and  3  feet  diameter,  so  that  the  surface  of  each 
piston  has  1,296  square  inches  acting  with  an 

atmospheric  pressure 
of  15  Ibs.  to  the  square 
inch,  causes  a  pressure 
of  19,440  Ibs.  to  each 
cylinder  (saying  noth- 
ing of  friction,  which 
will  be  accounted  for 
later) ;  6,  7,  8,  9,  10, 
pistons  of  each  cylin- 
der, as  they  must  be  placed  when  the  engine 
begins  to  work ;  6,  7,  8, 9,  causing  a  vacuum  under 
each  piston  (as  they  have  for  the  first  time  been 
brought  into  their  present  situation  by  main 
force),  afterwards,  when  the  engine  is  permitted 
to  start,  they  will  regulate  themselves;  No.  10 
lies  flat  on  the  bottom  of  the  cylinder;  11,  12,  13, 
14,  15,  piston  rods  acting  on  shaft  No.  16;  17, 
wheel  to  communicate  the  engine's  power  to  the 
machinery  of  the  engine  itself;  18,  wheel  to  com- 
municate the  engine's  power  to  the  wheel  or  pro- 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  121 

pelling  screw  of  a  ship,  manufactory,  locomo- 
tive, etc. 

Stuckey's  Device 

In  1842,  William  Henry  Stuckey,  Esquire, 
of  St.  Petersburgh,  applied  for  a  British  patent 
on 

"A  Pneumatic  Engine  for  Producing  Motive 
Power." 

His  specifications  describe  his  alleged  inven- 
tion as  follows: 

Fig.  1  is  a  front  view  of  my  said  pneumatic 
engine,  partly  in  section.  A1  and  B1  two  hori- 
zontal cylinders,  united  at  their  inner  extremities 
a,  a,  which  rotate  on  gudgeons  that  have  their 
bearings  C,  C,  in  the  upright  standards  D,  D ;  A2 
and  B2  two  pistons  which  work  to  and  fro  in  these 
cylinders;  E1  and  E3  two  hollow  arms  or  tubes 
which  radiate  from  the  cylinder  A1,  and  E2,  E4, 
two  similar  arms  or  tubes  which  radiate  in  oppo- 
site directions  from  the  cylinder  B1,  each  cylinder 
having  an  open  communication  with  the  arms  or 
tubes  attached  to  it.  F1,  F2,  F3,  and  F4,  four  other 
cylinders,  affixed  to  a  circular  ring  R,  R,  open  at 
top  to  the  atmosphere,  and  open  at  bottom  to  the 
radial  tubes  E1,  E2,  E3,  E4,  connected  with  them 
at  their  outer  extremities.  G1,  G2,  G3,  G4,  pistons 
working  in  the  cylinders  F1,  F2,  F3,  and  F4,  and  H1, 
H2,  H3,  and  H4,  caps  screwed  on  to  the  flanges  of 
the  cylinders.  The  different  parts  described  form 
a  wheel,  which,  on  being  set  in  motion,  rotates  on 
the  gudgeons  in  the  bearing  C,  C.  The  motion  is 
produced  as  follows : — I  adjust  the  wheel  so  that 


122 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


the  tubes  E1  and  E3  shall  be  in  a  vertical  position ; 
and  pour  into  the  tube  E1,  through  the  cylinder 
F1,  withdrawing  the  piston  G1,  as  much  mercury 
or  other  suitable  fluid  body  (previously  deter- 
mined by  calculation)  as  will  fill  the  tube  from 
the  point  of  its  connection  with  the  inner  cylinder 
A1  up  to  the  bottom  (a,  a,)  of  the  outer  cylinder 
F1,  The  mercury  thus  introduced  flows  into  the 
cylinder  A1  at  the  back  of  the  piston  A2,  and 

presses  that  piston  for- 
ward to  the  extremity 
of  its  range,  the  piston 
G1  being  then  restored 
to  its  place  in  the  cylin- 
der F1,  and  pressed 
close  down  on  the 
mercury  in  the  tube 
E1.  I  next  turn  the 
wheel  till  the  tubes  E2 
and  E4  are  in  a  vertical 
position,  by  which  turning  the  mercury  therein  is 
forced  into  the  tube  E3,  flowing  down  which  it 
drives  the  piston  G3  of  the  cylinder  F3  forward  to 
the  extremity  of  its  range,  leaving  a  vacuum  in 
the  cylinder  A1  at  O,  equal  to  the  difference  be- 
tween the  heights  from  which  the  mercury  de- 
scends in  the  tubes  E1  and  E3.  I  then  fill  the  tube 
E2  and  cylinder  B2  with  mercury,  to  the  same  ex- 
tent and  in  the  same  way  as  I  previously  filled  the 
tube  E1  and  cylinder  A1,  after  which  I  turn  the 
wheel  till  the  tubes  E1  and  E3  are  once  more  in  a 
vertical  position,  whereby  I  produce  a  vacuum 
in  each  pair  of  tubes,  and  their  intermediate  cyl- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  123 

inder,  to  the  degree  of  the  difference  before  ex- 
plained. To  the  four  tubes  there  are  attached  four 
cocks  K1,  K2,  K3,  K4,  which,  after  the  vacua  have 
been  obtained,  are  closed ;  and  to  the  four  rods  of 
the  pistons  of  the  outer  cylinders  F1,  F2,  F3,  F4, 
there  are  attached  four  hanging  or  balance 
weights  L1,  L2,  L3,  L4,  in  such  manner  that  they 
shall  co-operate  with  the  atmospheric  pressure  on 
the  said  vacua  in  giving  rotation  to  the  wheel. 
M1,  M2,  M3,  M4,  are  jointed  levers,  by  which  these 
weights  are  connected  at  one  end  with  the  pistons 
G1,  G2,  G3,  G4;  and  N1,  N2,  are  cords  or  bands,  by 
which  they  are  suspended  at  the  other  end  from 
standards  P,  P,  projecting  from  the  ring  R,  and 
bearing  pulleys,  over  which  the  cords  or  bands 
pass,  each  cord  or  band  serving  to  suspend  the  two 
weights  which  are  opposite  to  each  other,  for 
which  purpose  it  is  passed  internally  across  the 
wheel  and  over  the  exterior  of  one  of  the  cylinders 
A1  or  B1.  The  cords  or  bands  are  attached  to 
the  weights  at  the  lower  ends  thereof,  and  pass 
over  small  pulleys  close  to  the  points  of  connec- 
tion, so  that  the  cords  or  bands,  when  pulled,  may 
act  the  more  effectually  on  the  weights.  It  will 
be  readily  understood  that  when  any  two  of  the 
tubes  are  in  a  vertical  position,  and  the  mercury 
or  other  suitable  fluid  has  descended  to  the  bot- 
tom of  the  lower  tube,  its  pressure  on  the  piston 
of  the  outer  cylinder  G1,  or  G2,  or  G3,  or  G4,  will 
cause  the  weight  connected  with  that  piston  to 
turn  inwards  towards  the  centre  of  the  wheel,  by 
which  movement  a  strain  is  exerted  on  the  con- 
necting cord  or  band  N1  or  N2,  which  throws  up 


124  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

the  opposite  weight  at  top,  and  causes  it  to  force 
down  the  piston  of  the  top  cylinder,  or  the  surface 
of  the  mercury  in  the  upper  tube,  whereby  any 
excess  of  pressure  at  the  bottom  of  the  lower  tube 
is  transferred  to  the  top  piston,  where  it  acts  in 
aid  of  the  atmospheric  pressure  on  the  vacua  ob- 
tained in  manner  aforesaid.  The  four  cocks  K, 
have  regulating  rods  connected  to  them  in  the  way 
common  in  steam  and  other  engines,  so  that  as 
each  tube  comes  into  a  vertical  position  the  cock 
attached  to  it  is  opened,  and  as  it  passes  from  that 
position  towards  the  horizontal,  is  shut,  so  that 
the  mercury  always  retains  its  proper  position  in 
the  tubes  or  cylinders,  and  is  acted  on  by  the  pres- 
sure of  the  atmosphere  at  those  points  only  where 
such  pressure  can  be  of  service.  The  power  of 
this  wheel  will  be,  of  course,  in  proportion  to  the 
vacua  produced  in  manner  aforesaid,  and  to  the 
altitude  of  the  columns  of  mercury  employed. 
The  inner  cylinders  might  be  dispensed  with,  and 
the  tubes  be  made  to  communicate  directly  with 
each  other,  but  I  prefer,  for  most  purposes,  the 
arrangement  which  I  have  before  described,  with 
the  two  intermediate  cylinders  A1,  B1 ;  where  the 
inner  cylinders  are  dispensed  with,  I  make  use  of 
eccentrics  instead  of  the  joined  levers  before  de- 
scribed, to  enable  the  weights  to  turn  to  the  extent 
of  about  half  a  circle.  The  number  of  tubes  also 
need  not  be  limited  to  four,  but  increased  to  any 
convenient  extent. 

Prof.  George  Sinclair's  Device 

This  device  was  invented  by  George  Sinclair, 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  125 

who  was  a  professor  of  philosophy  at  Glasgow 
University.  He  died  in  1696.  In  1669  he  pub- 
lished a  work  on  Pneumatics,  and  in  that  work 
claimed  to  have  discovered  Perpetual  Motion. 
Explanations  of  his  device  consumed  eighteen 
pages  of  a  Latin  work  on  Pneumatics.  It  very 
absurdly  depended  for  its  operation  upon  the  de- 
livery of  water  from  the  short  leg  of  a  siphon, 


instead  of  the  long  leg.     The  figure  illustrates 
the  contemplated  operation. 

Jacob  Brazill's  Device 

In  1839  Jacob  Brazill,  of  Deptford,  Kent, 
Governor  of  Trinity  Ground,  applied  for  a  Brit- 
ish patent  on 
"Improvements  in  Obtaining  Motive  Power." 

In  his  application  he  describes  his  alleged 
invention  as  follows: 

My  invention  consists  in  a  certain  arrange- 


126  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

ment  or  combination  of  mechanism  wherein  the 
atmospheric  air  is  employed  as  the  impelling 
agent,  being  brought  to  bear  in  such  a  manner  as 
by  exerting  a  constant  urging  pressure,  to  pro- 
duce a  continuous  rotary  motion,  and  applies  to 
all  the  purposes  where  a  prime  mover  is  required. 
Fig.  1  is  an  end  view  of  the  apparatus  a,  a, 
are  the  bearings,  top  and  bottom,  for  the  vertical 

shaft  b,  which  bearings 
are  to  be  so  constructed  as 
to  produce  the  least  pos- 
s^"e  amount  of  friction, 
c  is  a  large  drum  fur- 

nished  with  radial  Plates 

or  fans,  some  of  the  plates 
being  so  arranged  as  to 
slope  down  towards  the 
bottom  plate,  thus  forming,  as  it  were,  a  series  of 
boxes  decreasing  in  their  transverse  dimensions 
as  they  approach  the  boss.  This  drum  is  to  be 
put  in  motion  by  means  of  a  current  of  air  di- 
rected through  the  pipes  d  and  e,  from  the  two 
pairs  of  double  bellows  /  and  g.  h  is  a  worm 
fixed  on  the  vertical  shaft  by  means  of  a  tighten- 
ing screw,  or  in  any  other  convenient  way,  taking 
into  the  worm  wheel  i  on  the  horizontal  crank- 
shaft j,  supported  in  bearings  k,  k.  The  cranks 
/,  /,  work  the  bellows  by  connecting  rods  m,  m; 
n  is  a  spur  wheel  taking  into  a  pinion  o,  on  the 
axle  of  which  is  a  winch  handle  p,  for  starting  the 
apparatus. 

What  I  claim  as  my  peculiar  right  is,  the 
impulsion  of  a  current  of  air  against  the  fans  of 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  127 

a  drum  (as  that  at  r)  through  pipes,  as  at  d  and 
e,  for  the  purposes  of  a  motive  power,  together 
with  a  certain  arrangement  of  mechanism,  by 
means  of  which  the  action  first  induced  shall  be 
kept  up. 

Laserson's  Device 

In  1860  Marc  Antoine  F.  Mennons,  of  Paris, 
applied  on  behalf  of  Louis  Diodor  Laserson  of 
Moscow,  Russia,  for,  and  obtained,  a  British 
patent  on 

"Certain  Improvements  in  the  Production 
of  Motive  Power,  and  in  the  Apparatus  Con- 
nected Therewith." 

He  described  the  essentials  of  his  device  as 
follows : 

The  invention  consists  in  the  application  of 
the  ascensional  force  of  air  or  gases  developed 
under  water  to  the  generation  of  motive  power, 
and  in  the  combination  of  apparatus,  by  means  of 
which  the  power  thus  produced  is  accumulated, 
transmitted  and  applied.  The  principal  element 
of  this  combination  is  a  wheel  or  disc  (shown  in 
plan  and  section,  Figs.  1,  2),  the  dimensions  of 
which  are  proportioned  to  the  power  required. 
On  the  circumference  of  this  wheel  are  fixed  at 
equal  distances  a  given  number  (say  sixteen)  of 
flexible  air  reservoirs  a,  communicating  with  an 
equal  number  of  tubular  passages  b,  which  open 
in  the  nave  c.  In  the  length  of  the  fixed  shaft 
d,  on  which  this  wheel  is  mounted,  are  formed 
two  cylindrical  cells  E  by  which  the  air  is  ad- 


128 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


mitted  to  and  discharged  from  the  flexible  reser- 
voirs a  by  the  tubular  passages  b,  with  which 
they  correspond.  The  hydro-atmospheric  wheel 
thus  mounted  and  immersed  to  the  required  depth* 
in  a  suitable  reservoir  as  in  f,  is  placed  in  com- 
munication by  its  hollow  shaft  with  an  air-com- 
pressing apparatus  of  any  convenient  form,  which 
in  its  turn  is  connected  with  the  shaft  of  an  ordi- 
nary hydraulic  wheel.  The  latter  being  set  in 
motion  acts  on  the  forcing  apparatus,  by  which  a 


FIC.t. 


jet  of  compressed  air  is  thrown  into  the  hollow 
shaft  of  the  hydro-atmospheric  wheel  by  the  entry 
cell  corresponding  with  the  orifices  of  the  fourth 
quadrant  or  lowest  immersed  section  of  the  lat- 
ter. The  air  injected  following  the  tubular  pas- 
sages within  its  range  enters  and  inflates  the  cor- 
responding flexible  reservoirs,  which  thus  acquir- 
ing an  ascensional  force  proportioned  to  their 
displacing  capacity  and  degree  of  immersion, 
carry  forward  the  wheel  in  their  movement  to- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  129 

wards  the  surface.  On  reaching  the  water  line 
the  tubular  passage  come  into  communication  by 
the  nave  orifices  with  the  discharge  cell  of  the 
fixed  shaft,  and  give  egress  to  the  air  compressed 
in  the  flexible  reservoirs,  which  collapse  simul- 
taneously with  the  inflation  of  the  succeeding 
series  by  which  they  have  in  the  meantime  been 
replaced  in  the  fourth  quadrant.  The  latter  fol- 
lowing the  ascensional  movement  of  their  prede- 
cessors give  place  to  a  third  series,  and  collapse 
in  the  same  way  on  passing  the  surface,  so  that 
each  air  reservoir  on  re-entering  the  water  in  the 
continued  revolution  of  the  wheel  presents  com- 
paratively little  resistance  until  it  arrives  at  the 
turning  point,  when  the  communication  with  the 
entry  cell  of  the  axle  being  again  established  the 
movements  above  described  are  reproduced.  The 
force  thus  developed  by  the  hydro-atmospheric 
wheel,  which  represents  about  three  times  that 
of  the  prime  motor,  may  be  at  this  stage  applied 
to  the  required  transmissions  of  movement. 
When  natural  watercourses  are  not  to  be  had 
within  a  reasonable  distance  of  the  locality  in 
which  the  force  is  to  be  applied,  it  becomes  neces- 
sary to  replace  them  by  an  artificial  fall. 

Von  Rathen  and  Ellis's  Device 

In  1866  Anthony  Bernhard  Baron  Von 
Rathen  and  George  Henry  Ellis,  both  of  London, 
applied  for  and  obtained  British  patent  on 

"A  New  or  Improved  Mode  of  Constructing 
a  Motive-power  Wheel  Whereby  to  Obtain 


130  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

Permanent  Motion  by  the  Application  of  Com- 
pressed Air  or  any  other  Elastic  Fluid." 

In  the  specifications  for  patent  the  essentials 
of  their  invention  are  described  as  follows : 

This  invention  may  be  considered  supple- 
mentary to  an  invention  of  the  Baron  Von  Rathen 
of  an  elementary  motive-power  engine,  for  which 
a  patent  has  been  granted  to  him,  No.  818,  and 
dated  March  23,  1865,  and  consisting  in  a  newly- 
discovered  plan  for  the  construction  of  a  motive- 
power  wheel  or  engine,  on  the  principle  that  the 
motor,  consisting  of  compressed  air  or  other  elas- 
tic fluid,  is  maintained  in  permanent  activity  and 
without  removal  or  renewal,  and  the  useful  re- 
sistance of  the  air  in  the  chambers  is  on  the  sur- 
face of  a  fixed  cylinder,  the  motion  is  regular  and 
direct,  the  wheel  rotating  on  its  fixed  central  axis. 

The  nature  of  our  present  invention  consists 
principally  in  our  providing,  instead  of  that  a 
motive-power  wheel  having  its  axis  upon  fixed 
bearings  in  an  eccentric  position  and  turning  in 
an  oscillating  cylinder.  The  motor  being  brought 
through  a  hollow  shaft,  or  any  convenient  chan- 
nel, is  introduced  into  one  or  more  closed  cham- 
bers formed  upon  the  longest  arm  of  the  power 
wheel  for  the  purpose  of  driving  it  round ;  by  this 
means,  according  to  the  uniform  pressure  of  the 
elastic  fluid  upon  all  surfaces,  we  obtain  not  only 
a  continuous  but  an  additional  degree  of  driving 
power  from  the  leverage  given  by  the  position  of 
the  wheel.  There  is,  as  shown  in  Fig.  1  of  the 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  131 

accompanying  drawing,  a  fixed  arm  or  driving 
rod  fixed  upon  the  cylinder  by  which  to  impart 
motion  to  a  crank,  piston,  or  other  apparatus. 
We  propose  to  obtain  the  motor  by  pumps  worked 
by  or  in  connection  with  the  power  wheel,  and 
having  other  suitable  and  necessary  appliances 
for  regulating,  storing,  transmitting,  and  manip- 
ulating the  force  supplied  to  or  communicated 
by  the  power  wheel,  as  have  been  described,  to  be 
applied  with  the  plan  for  working  the  elementary 
motive-power  engine  hereinbefore  referred  to. 

Fig.  1  is  a  vertical  section  of  the  power  wheel 
revolving  inside  and  moving  the  oscillating  cylin- 
der. 

A1  and  A2  are  air-tight  chambers,  the  former 
being  the  driving  chamber  and  the  latter  intended 
to  check  or  counterbalance  its  wedging  or  binding 
effect  upon  the  cylinder,  owing  to  the  extra  lever- 
age obtained  and  the  pressure  upon  the  surface 
of  the  rod  B,  the  wheel  will  revolve  in  that  direc- 
tion by  the  action  of  the  elastic  force  which  finds 
its  useful  resistance  on  the  internal  surface  of  the 
cylinder  C.  D1,  D2,  D3,  D4,  are  packings  to  ren- 
der the  two  chambers  air-tight  and  to  afford  bear- 
ings for  the  four  arms  of  the  wheel  upon  the 
cylinder ;  E,  E,  are  two  tubes  for  conducting  the 
motor  into  the  chambers,  and  F  is  the  axle,  upon 
which  the  wheel  is  firmly  fixed  and  driven  round 
with  it. 

Fig.  2  is  a  side  elevation  of  the  power  wheel. 
F  is  the  hollow  shaft  or  axle  through  which  the 
motor  passes  from  the  pumps  or  reservoir  in  con- 
nection therewith,  and  upon  which  the  wheel 


132 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


rotates ;  G  is  the  rod  or  arm  fixed  at  one  end  to 
the  cylinder  C,  and  attached  at  the  other  end  by  a 
joint  or  coupling  H  to  the  rod  I,  acting  within  a 


cylinder  to  give  motion  to  the  piston  K ;  L  is  one 
of  the  side  covers  of  the  power  wheel,  and  N  the 
support  or  framework  for  the  wheel. 

Richard  Varley's  Device 

In  1797  Richard  Varley,  of  Damside,  Lan- 
cashire, England,  a  merchant,  applied  for  and  ob- 
tained a  British  patent  on 

"A  New  Perpetual  Moving  Power." 

His  device  is  explained  by  the  following 
excerpt  from  his  application: 

"My  invention  consists  of  a  method  of  apply- 
ing the  weight  of  the  atmosphere  upon  a  wheel  in 
any  other  fluid,  and  by  that  means  destroying  its 
spring  or  reaction,  the  manner  of  doing  which  I 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  133 

describe  as  follows,  agreeable  to  the  drawing 
(Fig.  6)  annexed: 

"A  is  a  circular  vessel,  made  of  copper  or  any 
other  substance,  capable  of  containing  water,  and 

(Fig.  6.) 


a 


covered  with  a  top  part  so  as  to  be  perfectly  air- 
tight. B  is  a  wheel  placed  in  the  inside  of  the 
vessel,  with  its  axle  perpendicular,  the  uppermost 
part  of  which  comes  through  the  top  of  the  vessel, 


134  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

and  is  made  to  work  air-tight ;  the  lower  end  runs 
in  a  step  within  the  vessel,  and  no  part  of  the 
wheel  is  to  touch  the  vessel  but  its  axis.  C  is  a  cyl- 
inder placed  firmly  upon  the  wheel.  D  is  the  pis- 
ton, suspended  by  a  chain  to  a  strong  spring  fixed 
on  the  wheel.  This  spring  is  to  be  made  of  such 
strength  as  that  when  the  whole  weight  of  the 
atmosphere  is  upon  the  piston  the  air  will  only 
move  it  about  one  inch  down.  E  is  the  tube  lead- 
ing from  the  axle,  which  is  hollow  from  the  top  to 
the  level  of  the  wheel,  so  as  to  admit  the  external 
air  by  this  tube  to  the  piston  D,  which  piston  is  a 
circular  vessel,  made  air-tight,  and  exactly  fits 
the  cylinder.  There  is  a  joint  in  the  tube  E  at  F, 
which  is  made  air-tight  by  leathers,  so  that  when 
the  piston  descends  the  tube  may  give  way  to  it. 
G  is  a  small  tube  leading  from  the  bottom  of  the 
cylinder  to  the  center  of  the  axle,  and  from  thence 
brought  out  at  the  end  of  it,  and  by  which  the  air 
is  extracted  from  the  cylinder  by  means  of  an  air 
pump  and  a  vacuum  formed  in  it.  On  the  top 
part  or  any  other  convenient  place  of  the  vessel, 
are  fixed  two  cylinders  or  tubes  of  a  proportional 
size  to  the  cylinders  on  the  wheel,  one  of  which 
is  a  condensing  cylinder,  by  means  of  a  screw  and 
piston,  and  by  which  the  water  in  the  vessel  may 
be  compressed ;  the  other  has  its  piston  suspended 
at  the  bottom,  and  the  top  part  of  the  cylinder 
being  filled  with  air  as  the  other  piston  is  screwed 
down  this  rises,  and  condenses  the  air  in  the  cylin- 
der, the  spring  of  which  keeps  the  water  in  the 
vessel  pressed  to  all  parts  alike ;  and  when  the  air 
is  extracted  from  the  cylinder  C  and  the  piston  D 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  135 

is  forced  down  by  the  external  atmosphere  into 
the  cylinder,  this  pressure  is  continued,  and  the 
condensed  air  expands  in  proportion  and  prevents 
any  tendency  to  a  vacuum  being  formed,  which 
would  cause  a  cohesion  of  all  the  parts.  By  this 
means  the  external  air  is  suspended  upon  the 
wheel  by  the  chain,  the  same  as  a  weight,  and  the 
spring  of  the  atmosphere  being  taken  from  the 
cylinder  there  is  nothing  to  oppose  this  weight, 
there  being  no  spring  in  water;  and  this  power 
may  be  increased  in  proportion  to  the  size  and 
number  of  cylinders  on  the  wheel  and  its  diam- 
eter." 

Siphon  and  Funnel  Device 

This  was  the  work  of  an  Englishman  whose 
name  is  unknown.  An  account  of  it  appeared  in 
"Mechanics'  Magazine,"  1828,  in  the  following 
language: 

a  is  a  circular  glass  vessel  1  foot  6  inches 
diameter ;  b  b  a  tube  fixed  thereunto ;  c  c  are  fun- 
nels containing  valves ;  d,  a  float  of  hollow  cop- 
per, or  any  light  substance ;  e,  an  open  mouth ;  f, 
an  open  vessel  filled  with  mercury  as  high  as  the 
dotted  line. 

It  is  well  known  that  several  experiments 
were  made  by  M.  Venturi,  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  etc., 
demonstrating  that  a  vessel  shaped  thus — 


136 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


will  emit  water  with  a  much  greater  rapidity  than 
a  vessel  shaped  thus — 


say,  with  more  than  a  third  as  much  speed.     I 
propose,  then,  to  have  the  mouth  of  the  vessel  a 


1 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  137 

of  the  former  shape,  being  the  natural  form  of 
flowing  water.  The  vessel  a,  and  tube  b,  must 
be  completely  filled  with  mercury,  by  means  of  the 
funnels  c  c,  which  will  also  contain  mercury.  In 
order  to  set  the  fluid  in  motion,  the  valve  in  the 
large  vessel  c  is  to  be  raised;  the  mercury  (which 
was  hitherto  held  up  by  a  greater  weight  of  at- 
mosphere) will  instantly  run  out  of  the  mouth  e, 
and  must  be  suffered  to  do  so  till  the  mercury  in 
c  is  level  with  the  dotted  line;  by  this  time  the 
mercury  in  a  will  have  obtained  a  momentum 
which  will  be  more  than  equivalent  to  the  pressure 
of  the  atmosphere:  consequently,  the  mercury 
will  run  out  of  the  large  vessel  a,  till  it  falls  as 
low  as  the  dotted  line ;  the  float  d,  resting  on  the 
mercury,  of  course,  falls  with  it,  opens  the  valve, 
and  admits  a  proportionable  quantity  of  mercury 
through  the  tube  b,  driven  by  the  pressure  of  the 
atmosphere  (the  height  from  the  mercury  in  f, 
to  the  top  of  the  tube  b,  being  only  26  inches, 
which  is  2  inches  less  than  what  the  atmosphere 
will  at  all  times  raise  mercury  in  a  vacuum). 

By  this  means  will  there  not  be  a  continual 
circulation  of  mercury? 

Orchard's  Vacuum  Engine 

In  1826  there  was  published  in  "Mechanics' 
Magazine,"  London,  a  communication  from  a  Mr. 
Orchard,  concerning  an  invention  he  considered 
himself  as  having  made.  The  account  is  pub- 
lished in  his  own  words,  and  is  as  follows: 

A  is  an  iron  reservoir  nearly  filled  with  mer- 


138 


PERPETUAL   MOTION 


cury;  B,  a  tube  twenty-four  inches  long,  having 
its  lower  end  inserted  in  that  reservoir ;  and  C  and 
D,  two  cocks  for  the  convenience  of  filling  the 
tube  B.  From  this  another  tube  M  proceeds  at 


right  angles,  to  the  vessel  G.  In  this  latter  tube 
is  the  cock  F,  to  admit  of,  or  shut  off,  a  communi- 
cation between  the  tube  and  the  vessel  G.  This 
communication  being  closed,  the  tube  B  is  care- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  139 

fully  filled  with  mercury ;  after  which  the  cock  D 
is  closed  and  the  cap  E  screwed  on. 

The  vessel  G  is  to  be  filled  with  mercury 
through  the  cock  H,  the  pipe  I  being  open  to  allow 
of  the  escape  of  air.  When  this  vessel  has  been 
filled,  the  cock  H  should  be  closed  and  its  cap 
screwed  on;  and  the  pipe  I  be  also  closed  by  a 
valve,  which  is  to  be  pressed  tight  by  the  cap  on 
the  head  of  the  pipe.  I  is  a  vent-pipe,  open  at  the 
top.  The  space  represented  by  the  double  lines 
is  a  panel  of  thick  plate  glass  having  two  horizon- 
tal lines  described  on  its  surface,  whereby  the 
attendant  may  observe  the  quantity  of  mercury 
within  the  vessel. 

The  cock  F  being  closed,  a  quantity  of  mer- 
cury must  be  allowed  to  run  out  of  the  vessel  G, 
equal  to  the  space  1,  2,^3,  4,  which  space  will  be- 
come a  vacuum.  If,  therefore,  the  cock  L  be 
then  opened,  to  allow  of  the  discharge  of  a  cer- 
tain quantity  of  mercury  on  the  wheel,  and  the 
cocks  C  and  L  also  opened,  the  mercury  will  con- 
tinually rise  from  the  reservoir  A  into  the  vessel 
G,  and  thence  be  discharged  on  the  wheel,  whence 
it  will  again  fall  into  the  vessel  A,  to  keep  up  the 
supply.  The  cock  F  must  be  so  adjusted  as  to 
admit  into  the  vessel  G  a  quantity  of  mercury 
equal  to  that  which  is  discharged  by  the  cock  L. 
This  can  be  -ascertained  and  regulated  by  means 
of  the  panel  of  glass  above  described. 

The  specific  gravity  of  mercury  being  7l/2 
ounces,  it  is  evident  that  but  a  small  quantity  of 
it  is  required  to  turn  the  wheel,  which  has  no 
friction  but  that  of  the  axis  on  which  it  turns. 


140 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


Robert  Copland's  Device 

In  1819  Robert  Copland  applied  for  a  British 
patent  on 

"A  New  or  Improved  Method  or  Methods  of 
Gaining  Power  by  New  or  Improved  Combina- 
tions of  Apparatus,  Applicable  to  Various  Pur- 
poses." 

His  specifications  describe  in  great  detail  his 
invention  in  the  following  language : 

Figure  1  is  a  view  of  a  machine  by  which  I 
purpose  to  derive  a  disposable  force  or  power 
from  the  action,  weight  or  pressure  of  the  atmos- 
phere, through  the  medium 
of  the  column  of  water  or 
other  heavy  liquid  descend- 
ing on  one  side  of  the  en- 
closed vertical  wheel,  and 
from  thence  through  the 
centrifugal  wheel,  being  re- 
turned into  the  same  reser- 
voir from  which  the  pres- 
sure of  the  atmosphere 
raises  it  to  be  again  de- 
livered on  the  top  of  the 
vertical  wheel  to  supply  the  discharge  on  the  de- 
scending side,  arising  from  the  centrifugal  force 
communicated  to  it  by  the  rotary  velocity  of  the 
centrifugal  wheel,  and  the  pressure  of  the  de- 
scending column  over-balancing  the  reaction  or 
resistance  of  the  atmosphere  at  the  discharging 
apertures  of  the  centrifugal  wheel.  Thus  a  small 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  141 

quantity  of  water  or  other  liquid  (according  to 
the  size  of  the  machine  required)  being  continu- 
ally returned  onto  the  top  of  the  vertical  wheel 
by  the  pressure  or  action  of  the  atmosphere,  and 
acting  by  its  unbalanced  gravity  or  impetus  in  its 
descent,  will  produce  a  disposable  force  or  power 
of  any  required  magnitude,  by  increasing  the  size 
or  number  of  the  machines,  provided  the  height 
the  fluid  is  required  to  be  raised  is  not  quite  so 
high  as  the  column  which  the  atmosphere,  when 
lightest,  will  raise  of  that  fluid,  and  allowing  for 
the  requisite  velocity  on  the  vertical  wheel.  In 
Fig.  1,  A  is  the  feeding  pipe  through  which  the 
fluid  is  raised  by  the  pressure  or  action  of 
the  atmosphere  on  the  fluid  in  the  lowest 
reservoir  in  which  the  lower  end  of  the 
pipe  is  immersed,  closed  by  a  cock,  sliding 
plate,  valve  or  shutter,  to  allow  the  machine 
to  be  filled  at  the  commencement,  and  which 
may  be  under  the  surface  of  the  fluid,  also 
to  keep  it  air-tight.  The  other  end  is  inserted 
air-tight  into  the  top  reservoir,  or  by  a  curve,  as 
shown  by  the  dotted  line  a,  joined  to  pipe  C,  and 
delivering  upon  the  vertical  wheel,  without  any 
top  reservoir.  In  this  case,  if  water  is  used,  the 
highest  part  of  the  bend  or  curve  inside  should 
not  exceed  thirty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  water 
in  lowest  reservoir.  B  is  the  top  reservoir,  the 
lowest  internal  part  of  which  should  never  exceed 
twenty-nine  or  thirty  feet  above  the  water  in 
lowest  reservoir,  but  it  will  admit  the  top  of  the 
reservoir,  if  wished,  to  be  rather  higher  than 
when  the  curved  tube  a  only  is  used.  It  must  be 


142  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

quite  air-tight,  and  supported  as  convenient.  C 
is  a  pipe,  joined  air-tight  to  top  reservoir,  or  form- 
ing part  of  A,  a,  C.  C  is  a  movable  flap  of 
strong  leather,  or  other  substance,  which  may  be 
joined  to  the  lowest  part  of  C,  where  the  water  is 
delivered  so  high  on  the  wheel  and  where  floats 
with  hinges  are  used  on  the  wheel  to  prevent  its 
going  down  on  the  ascending  side ;  but  not  neces- 
sary when  water  is  delivered  lower  on  the  wheel. 
D,  D,  D,  D,  is  the  fixed  and  immovable  water- 
way, and  the  fixed  case  or  cover  (of  the  vertical 
wheel),  of  which  it  is  a  part,  joining  also  the 
stuffing  boxes,  through  which  the  axle  of  the 
vertical  wheel  moves  air-tight,  thus  entirely  en- 
closing and  surrounding  every  part  of  the  wheel 
but  the  projections  of  the  axle,  and  allowing  the 
float  boards  and  wheel  just  to  turn  freely  in  it 
without  touching  in  any  part  except  the  axle  in 
turning  in  the  packing  of  the  stuffing  boxes ;  the 
float  boards  are  fastened  on  to  the  iron  rim  or 
sole  of  the  vertical  wheel  by  very  strong  hinges  or 
movable  joints  just  within  the  fixed  waterway  D. 
E  is  a  pipe  or  pipes  joined  air-tight  to  the  fixed 
cover  or  case  enclosing  the  vertical  wheel  where 
the  water  is  to  be  taken  off  it,  having  their  lower 
ends  inserted  air-tight  also  into  the  bottom  of  the 
fixed  and  immovable  top  of  the  centrifugal  wheel 
in  such  a  direction  that  they  may  deliver  the  water 
into  the  moveable  waterway  of  the  centrifugal 
wheel  as  near  as  possible  in  the  same  direction  as 
the  water  circulates  in  the  wheel.  F,  F,  is  the 
centrifugal  wheel,  of  any  diameter  convenient, 
according  to  the  size  of  the  machine,  placed  hori- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  143 

zontally  above  the  fluid  in  the  lowest  reservoir, 
so  as  to  move  on  its  axis  as  near  as  possible  to 
the  surface  of  the  fluid  without  touching  it,  hav- 
ing an  immovable  cover  or  top,  leaving  a  hollow 
waterway  round  the  rim,  into  which  the  fluid  is 
discharged  from  E  in  the  direction  of  the  wheels' 
motion.  G,  G,  are  the  discharging  apertures  of 
the  centrifugal  wheel.  H,  H,  is  the  surface  of 
the  fluid  in  I,  I,  the  lowest  reservoir,  containing  a 
sufficient  quantity  of  water  when  the  machine  is 
put  to  work,  to  allow  the  bottom  of  feeding  pipe 
A  to  be  immersed  in  it  at  least  two  feet  below  the 
surface,  or  a  greater  depth  may  be  given  to  that 
part  of  the  reservoir  under  the  mouth  of  pipe  A, 
forming  a  sort  of  well  in  which  A  may  be  in- 
serted any  required  depth,  better  to  exclude  any 
particles  of  air  or  bubbles  mixed  with  the  water 
nearer  its  surface  from  ascending  in  pipe  A.  This 
reservoir  should  be  large  enough  to  contain  the 
whole  of  the  water  used  before  the  machine  is 
filled.  K,  K,  are  the  ends  of  the  axle  of  vertical 
wheel  outside  of  the  stuffing  boxes  of  the  fixed 
case,  and  are  the  only  parts  of  the  vertical  wheel 
seen,  and  turning  air-tight  through  the  packing 
or  stuffing  boxes,  or  in  any  other  manner  the  ex- 
ternal air  is  entirely  excluded  from  the  vertical 
wheel  when  at  work;  e  is  an  air-tight  cock  to 
discharge  the  air  out  of  the  machine  when  filling. 
L  is  an  aperture  into  top  reservoir,  or  into  highest 
part  of  pipe  A,  a  when  no  top  reservoir,  closed 
air-tight  by  a  screw  cap ;  by  this  the  whole  ma- 
chine is  filled  in  every  part  with  the  fluid  used 
before  it  can  be  set  to  work,  the  bottom  of  pipe  A 


144  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

and  apertures  G  (as  well  as  cock  to  bottom  of  pipe 
E  when  required)  being  previously  closed.  P  is 
part  of  the  axle  on  which  the  centrifugal  wheel 
revolves.  Before  the  machine  can  be  put  to  work 
everything  being  previously  arranged  as  directed, 
the  apertures  at  G  and  bottom  of  A  (and  at  E  if 
required  also),  must  be  closed  by  sliding  plates, 
valves,  cocks,  or  other  methods,  as  most  con- 
venient, and  every  part  of  the  machine  must  be 
rilled  with  the  water  or  fluid  used  by  the  aperture 
L,  or  any  other  convenient  method  by  which  the 
highest  parts  may  be  filled,  the  air  allowed  to  dis- 
charge by  opening  E  and  O,  the  latter  to  be  shut 
as  soon  as  the  centrifugal  wheel  is  filled,  and  the 
cock  at  E  closed  where  required,  when  the  water 
is  above  it  a  little,  e  continuing  open  so  as  to  allow 
the  air  to  be  entirely  discharged  from  every  part, 
which  being  done,  and  the  machine  entirely  filled 
with  water,  this  cock  and  aperture  L  must  be 
carefully  closed ;  having  then  fixed  upon  the  most 
convenient  method  for  giving  the  required  assist- 
ance to  set  the  machine  to  work,  by  giving  the 
centrifugal  wheel  motion,  and  assisting  it  till  ar- 
rived at  the  velocity  fixed,  it  must  be  put  in  motion 
and  the  apertures  G  opened;  after  it  has  got  a 
little  into  motion,  and  as  soon  as  the  velocity  of 
the  wheel  has  given  a  centrifugal  force  to  the 
water  sufficient  to  overbalance  the  slight  differ- 
ence in  the  height  of  the  feeding  and  descending 
columns,  the  pipe  A  must  be  opened ;  a  discharge 
from  the  apertures  G  will  now  take  place,  which 
is  supplied  from  top  reservoir  B  over  the  loaded 
side  of  vertical  wheel,  where,  by  its  gravity  and 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  145 

impetus  acting  on  the  float  boards,  it  causes  the 
wheel  to  turn  till  it  descends,  so  as  to  be  dis- 
charged through  E,  on  the  rim  or  waterway  W, 
of  the  centrifugal  wTieel,  which  it  strikes  with  the 
velocity  of  its  descent  in  nearly  the  direction  of 
the  wheel's  motion,  and  is  discharged  through 
apertures  G  into  the  water  contained  at  com- 
mencement in  lower  reservoir  I,  from  whence  this 
discharge  is  again  supplied  by  the  pressure  of  the 
atmosphere,  returning  it  through  pipe  A  into  top 
reservoir,  or  through  a,  C,  and  the  part  intended 
of  the  vertical  wheel.  As  the  velocity  of  the 
centrifugal  wheel  is  accelerated,  the  velocity  of 
the  descending  column  over  the  vertical  wheel 
will  also  be  accelerated,  and,  consequently,  the 
vertical  wheels,  when  having  arrived  at  their  re- 
spective fixed  velocities,  the  assisting  force  being 
no  longer  necessary,  may  be  withdrawn,  and  the 
centrifugal  wheel  may  now  receive  what  assist- 
ance is  required  to  support  its  velocity  from  the 
vertical  wheel  through  the  connecting  shafts  and 
wheelwork,  or  in  any  other  manner. 

Eaton's  Perpetual  Siphon.    London.    1850 

The  account  of  this  is  taken  from  Dircks's 
great  work,  mentioned  in  the  preface,  and  is  as 
follows : 

This  is  a  plan  proposed  by  Mr.  Eaton  in 
1850,  and  consists  in  providing  two  water  cisterns 
A,  B ;  the  short  leg  of  a  siphon  C  enters  the  upper 
cistern,  and  terminates  in  three  escape  pipes, 
capable  of  being  rotated  by  the  pulley  af  connected 


148 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


by  a  band  with  the  pulley  b,  affixed  to  the  vertical 
shaft  c,  rotated  by  the  inverted  Barker's  mill  D, 
constructed  on  the  short  leg  of  the  inverted 


siphon  E,  supplied  from  the  bottom  of  the  upper 
water  cistern.  By  this  means  it  was  expected  to 
keep  up  a  continual  flow  down  the  pipes  C  and  up 
E,  as  shown  by  the  arrows. 

Legge's  Hydro-Pneumatic  Power  Device.  1850 

This  is  an  English  production,  and  the  in- 
ventor claims  that  it  is  the  result  of  fourteen 
years'  study.  We  take  the  description  from 
Dircks.  It  is  as  follows : 

It  is  a  dome-shaped  vessel ;  its  upper  part  A 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


147 


filled  with  air,  and  the  lower  half  with  water,  as 
at  B.  This  vessel  contains  two  apparatus  for  re- 
turning the  water  which  is  worked  through  C  D, 


apparently  like  pump  barrels.  The  air  is  to  be 
at  from  250  to  500  pounds  pressure  on  the  square 
inch.  When  once  started  it  will  (it  is  stated)  go 
on  as  long  as  it  is  oiled.  The  inventor  estimates 
a  one  thirty-second  share  at  one  thousand  pounds 
value. 

Waterblowing  Machine 

In  1827  "Mechanics'  Magazine,"  London, 
published  an  account  of  an  invention  which  was 
furnished  to  it  by  some  correspondent.  The  in- 
vention, it  seems  from  the  communication,  had 
previously  been  described  in  an  appendix  by  Dr. 
Brewster  to  a  volume  of  Ferguson's  lectures,  and 
it  also  seems  that  the  description  furnished  "Me- 
chanics' Magazine"  was  copied  from  such  appen- 
dix. The  following  is  the  article  as  it  appeared 
in  "Mechanics'  Magazine" : 


148  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

I  am  encouraged  to  send  you  the  following 
attempt  at  perpetual  motion,  because  I  think  it  is 
upon  a  principle  that  has  not  yet  been  examined  in 
your  pages. 

In  Dr.  Brewster's  appendix  to  Ferguson's 
lectures,  the  following  description  is  given  of 
what  is  called  a  "Water  Blowing  Machine" :  "Let 
A  B  see  Fig.)  be  a  cistern  of  water,  with  the 
bottom  of  which  is  connected  the  bended  le.aden 
pipe  B  C  H.  The  lower  extremity  H,  of  the  pipe 
is  inserted  into  the  top  of  a  cask  or  vessel,  D  E, 
called  the  condensing  vessel,  having  the  pedestal 
P  fitted  to  its  bottom,  which  is  perforated  with 
two  openings,  M  N.  When  the  water  which 
comes  from  the  cistern  A  is  falling  through  the 
part,  C  H  of  the  pipe,  it  is  supplied  by  the  open- 
ings or  tubes,  m  n  o  p,  with  a  quantity  of  air 
which  it  carries  along  with  it.  This  mixture  of 
air  and  water,  issuing  from  the  aperture  H,  and 
impinging  upon  the  surface  of  the  stone  pedestal 
P,  is  driven  back  and  dispersed  in  various  direc- 
tions. The  air  being  thus  separated  from  the 
water,  ascends  into  the  upper  part  of  the  vessel, 
and  rushes  through  the  opening  F,  whence  it  is 
conveyed  to  the  fire,  while  the  water  falls  to  the 
lower  part  of  the  vessel,  and  runs  out  by  the 
openings  M  N."  The  author  then  goes  on  to 
describe  the  construction  of  the  pipe  B  C  H,  in 
the  curve  of  which  some  nicety  is  required,  and 
to  explain  some  atmospherical  phenomena  upon 
the  principle  of  this  machine,  adding  that  "Fran- 
ciscus  Tertius  de  Lanis  observes  that  he  has  seen 
a  greater  wind  generated  by  a  blowing  machine 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


149 


of  this  kind  than  could  be  produced  by  bellows 
ten  or  twelve  feet  long." 


Now,  if,  instead  of  the  pedestal  P,  a  wheel 
were  placed  in  the  condensing  vessel,  as  in  the 
fiure,  would  not  the  water,  in  falling  upon  the 
wheel,  be  sufficiently  dispersed  to  disengage  the 
air  at  the  same  time  that  it  drove  the  wheel,  and 
would  not  the  motion  of  the  wheel  be  retarded  by 
the  density  of  the  internal  air  ? 

I  do  not  apprehend  that  any  considerable 
resistance  would  be  offered  by  the  internal  air, 
and  the  motion  of  the  wheel  can  be  regulated  by 
its  load,  so  as  to  offer  a  sufficient  resistance  to 
the  descending  stream  of  water ;  and  I,  therefore, 
assume  that  the  water,  in  its  descent,  would  pro- 
duce by  means  of  the  wheel,  a  power  capable  of 


150  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

raising  a  part  of  the  water  expended  back  again 
to  the  cistern ;  and  this  is  the  extent  of  the  power 
of  most  of  those  machines  which  have  been  mis- 
taken for  perpetual  motions  by  their  projectors. 
But  I  have  a  blast  of  wind  which  is  described  as 
being  of  great  force.  Can  this  blast  be  in  any 
way  applied  to  raise  the  surplus  water  ?  I  think 
I  see  the  smile  which  the  proposal  will  produce  in 
those  who  deny  the  possibility  of  a  perpetual  mo- 
tion. "A  mere  puff  of  wind!"  is  doubtless  ejac- 
ulated from  all  sides.  But  let  me  tell  these  gen- 
tlemen that,  though  I  may  not  know  any  method 
by  which  such  blast  can  produce  that  effect,  it 
does  not,  by  any  means,  follow  that  the  impos- 
sibility of  the  thing  is  thence  to  be  presumed.  Far 
from  it ;  for  such  a  conclusion  rests  upon  the  sup- 
position that  the  powers  and  application  of  a  blast 
of  wind  are  fully  known,  and  that  no  research  or 
experience  can  add  to  our  knowledge  on  that  sub- 
ject— assumptions  which  appear  to  me  somewhat 
ridiculous.  Allow  me,  for  the  sake  of  argument, 
to  suppose  that  this  blast  instead  of  wind,  had 
been  a  blast  of  steam.  Time  was  when  wise  men 
would  have  smiled  and  said,  "A  puff  of  steam — 
a  mere  puff  of  steam !" — and  had  some  one,  more 
sanguine  than  the  rest,  attempted  by  its  applica- 
tion to  produce  a  motion,  he  would  have  applied 
it  to  the  floatboards  of  a  wheel,  as  in  Branca's 
engine,  and  have  been  disappointed.  It  is  not 
given  to  man  to  know  when  the  powers  of  any 
great  agent  have  been  fully  developed ;  and  those 
who  act  upon  such  presumptions  throw  the  great- 
est obstacles  in  the  way  of  inquiry.  But,  to 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  151 

show  the  anti-perpetualists  that  within  their  own 
time  since  the  commencement  of  the  "Mechanics' 
Magazine,"  an  addition  has  been  made  to  our 
knowledge  of  the  powers  of  a  blast  of  wind,  I 
have  added  a  tube,  G,  to  my  figure,  the  proposed 
use  of  which  I  shall  now  describe. 

In  a  part  of  the  "Mechanics'  Magazine," 
published  some  time  ago,  there  was  described  a 
novel  mode  of  raising  water  in  a  tube  by  directing 
a  stream  of  air  over  its  mouth,  thereby  destroy- 
ing the  pressure  of  the  atmosphere. 

I  do  not  suppose  it  will  rise  to  the  height  of 
the  cistern  as  I  have  figured  it ;  but  it  may  still  be 
a  question  whether  it  may  not  be  accomplished 
by  a  series  of  short  tubes,  the  bottom  of  the  one 
being  placed  in  the  cistern  into  which  the  next 
below  discharges  its  water,  each  being  con- 
structed with  a  blast  and  two  valves,  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  single  tube — namely,  the  valves  x 
(under  water)  and  y,  worked  in  such  a  manner 
by  the  arms  K  L,  that  the  one  may  shut  when  the 
other  opens.  Presuming  that  the  water  will  rise 
to  the  top  of  the  tube  when  the  blast  is  in  action 
(x  open  and  y  shut),  the  water  in  the  part  of  the 
tube  between  the  blast  and  3;  will  be  discharged 
into  the  cistern  at  the  next  motion  of  the  valves — 
namely,  when  x  is  shut  and  y  opened,  the  blast,  at 
the  same  time,  being  discontinued. 

Device  by  Means  of  Buoyancy  Through  Media 
of  Different  Densities 

An  account  of  this  appeared  in  "Mechanics' 
Magazine,"  1825.  The  author  apparently  had 


152  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

no  great  faith  in  the  accomplishment  of  Perpetual 
Motion,  and  yet  it  is  manifest  that  he  had  not 
abandoned  hope  of  accomplishing  it,  and  is  still 
thinking  along  some  line  of  attaining  it.  It  goes 
without  saying  that  the  device  failed.  The  ac- 
count furnished,  however,  is  as  follows : 

The  unsuccessful  (but  far  from  fruitless) 
search  made  to  discover. the  "philosopher's  stone," 
and  the  "elixir  vitse,"  were  productive  of  most 
important  and  beneficial  results  in  the  kingdom 
of  chemistry;  so,  by  a  parity  of  consequence,  I 
am  disposed  to  believe  that  from  inquiry  after 
the  "perpetual  motion"  (though  equally  unsuc- 
cessful), a  similar  good  will  result  to  the  mechan- 
ical world.  *  *  I  beg  leave  to  offer  the  pre- 
fixed device.  The  point  at  which,  like  all  the 
rest,  it  fails,  I  confess  I  did  not  (as  I  do  now) 
plainly  perceive  at  once,  although  it  is  certainly 
very  obvious.  The  original  idea  was  this — to 
enable  a  body  which  would  float  in  a  heavy  me- 
dium and  sink  in  a  lighter  one,  to  pass  successively 
through  the  one  to  the  other,  the  continuation  of 
which  would  be  the  end  in  view.  To  say  that 
valves  cannot  be  made  to  act  as  proposed  will  not 
be  to  show  the  rationale  (if  I  may  so  say)  upon 
which  the  idea  is  fallacious. 

The  figure  is  supposed  to  be  tubular,  and 
made  of  glass,  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  the  ac- 
tion of  the  balls  inside,  which  float  or  fall  as  they 
travel  from  air  through  water  and  from  water 
through  air.  The  foot  is  supposed  to  be  placed  in 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  153 

water,  but  it  would  answer  the  same  purpose  if 
the  bottom  were  closed. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  ENGRAVING. — No.  1, 
the  left  leg,  filled  with  water  from  B  to  A.  2  and 
3,  valves,  having  in  their  centers  very  small  pro- 
jecting valves;  they  all  open  upwards.  4,  the 
right  leg,*  containing  air  from  A  to  F.  5  and  6, 
valves,  having  very  small  ones  in  their  centers; 
they  all  open  downwards.  The  whole  apparatus 
supposed  to  be  air-  and  water-tight.  The  round 
figures  represent  hollow  balls,  which  will  sink 
one-fourth  of  their  bulk  in  water  (of  course  will 


154  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

fall  in  air) ;  the  weight,  therefore,  of  three  balls 
resting  upon  one  ball  in  water,  as  at  E,  will  just 
bring  this  top  even  with  the  water's  edge;  the 
weight  of  four  balls  will  sink  it  under  the  surface 
until  the  ball  immediately  over  it  is  one-fourth  its 
bulk  in  water,  when  the  under  ball  will  escape 
round  the  corner  at  C,  and  begin  to  ascend. 

The  machine  is  supposed  (in  the  figure)  to 
be  in  action,  and  No.  8  (one  of  the  balls)  to  have 
just  escaped  round  the  corner  at  C,  and  to  be,  by 
its  buoyancy,  rising  up  to  valve  No.  3,  striking 
first  the  small  projecting  valve  in  the  center, 
which,  when  opened,  the  large  one  will  be  raised 
by  the  buoyancy  of  the  ball ;  because  the  moment 
the  small  valve  in  the  center  is  opened  (although 
only  the  size  of  a  pin's  head),  No.  2  valve  will 
have  taken  upon  itself  to  sustain  the  whole  column 
of  water  from  A  to  B.  The  said  ball  (No.  8) 
having  passed  through  the  valve  No.  3,  will,  by 
appropriate  weights  or  springs,  close ;  the  ball  will 
proceed  upwards  to  the  next  valve  (No.  2),  and 
perform  the  same  operation  there.  Having  ar- 
rived at  A,  it  will  float  upon  the  surface  three- 
fourths  of  its  bulk  out  of  water.  Upon  another 
ball  in  due  course  arriving  under  it,  it  will  be 
lifted  quite  out  of  the  water  and  fall  over  the 
point  D,  pass  into  the  right  leg  (containing  air), 
and  fall  to  valve  No.  5,  strike  and  open  the  small 
valve  in  its  center,  then  open  the  large  one  and 
pass  through ;  this  valve  will  then,  by  appropriate 
weights  or  springs,  close,  the  ball  will  roll  on 
through  the  bent  tube  (which  is  made  in  that 
form  to  gain  time  as  well  as  to  exhibit  motion) 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  155 

to  the  next  valve  (No.  6),  where  it  will  perform 
the  same  operation,  and  then,  falling  upon  the 
four  balls  at  E,  force  the  bottom  one  round  the 
corner  at  C.  This  ball  will  proceed  as  did  No.  8, 
and  the  rest  in  the  same  manner  successively. 

Device  by  Compressible  and  Distensible  Bags 
in  Liquid 

In  the  year  1823,  an  account  of  a  Perpetual 
Motion  device  was  sent  to  "Mechanics'  Maga- 
zine" by  some  correspondent.  This  appears  to 
have  considerable  claim  to  ingenuity,  though  the 
correspondent  states  that  "it  failed  from  fric- 
tion." The  figure  and  account  furnished  are  as 
follows : 

A  A  A  A  is  a  cistern  of  water,  filled  as  high 
asBB.  CCCCCC  are  six  bladders,  communi- 
cating by  the  tubes  D  D  D  D  D  D  with  the  hollow 
axle  E,  which  axle  is  connected  with  the  bellows 
F  by  the  pipe  G.  H  is  a  crank  connected  with 
the  crank  I  by  the  rod  K.  L  is  a  saucer-wheel, 
M  a  pinion,  N  its  shaft.  O  is  a  crank  attached 
to  the  bellows  F  by  the  rod  P.  Q  Q  Q  Q  Q  Q  are 
valves  with  a  projecting  lever.  R  and  S  are  two 
projecting  knobs.  T  is  a  hole  in  the  axle  E,  form- 
ing a  communication  with  it  and  the  lowermost 
bladder.  The  axle  B  being  put  in  motion  carried 
round  the  bladders  and  tables,  and  by  the  cranks 
H  and  I,  and  the  connecting-rod  K,  caused  the 
wheel  L  to  revolve,  which  communicating  a  sim- 
ilar but  accelerated  motion  to  the  pinion  M,  shaft 
N,  and  crank  O,  worked  or  blew  the  bellows  F 


156 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


by  the  rod  P;  the  air  entered  the  axle  E  by  the 
tube  G,  and  passing  through  the  hole  in  it  at  T, 
entered  the  lower  bladder  C  by  the  tube  D ;  this 
bladder  being  thus  rendered  lighter  than  the  space 
it  occupied,  ascended,  bringing  the  bladder  behind 
it  over  the  hole  in  the  axle  T  in  like  manner,  and 
which  thereby  gained  an  ascending  power,  pro- 


ducing a  similar  effect  on  the  one  behind  it.  When 
one  of  the  bladders  arrived  at  the  knob  S,  the 
lever  of  the  valve  Q  struck  against  it  and  opened 
the  valve;  when  the  bladder  arrived  at  U  and 
began  to  descend,  its  pressure  on  the  water  drove 
out  the  air  and  gave  it  a  descending  power ;  the 
knob  R  then  closed  the  valve  Q  and  prevented  the 


PERPETUAL   MOTION 


157 


entrance  of  any  water  into  the  bladder;  by  this 
contrivance  three  of  the  bladders  were  full  and 
empty,  according  as  they  passed  over  the  hole  T 
or  the  knob  S. 

George    Cunningham's   Mercurial   Pneumatic 
Device.    Ireland.    1729 

Among  the  papers  in  the  British  Museum  is 
one  which  purports  to  relate  to  the  Royal  Society, 
and  in  that  Royal  Society  volume  it  is  number  32. 


It  is  quite  amusing.  The  author  explains  that  he 
is  withholding  many  precise  details  and  measure- 
ments "such  as  workmen  should  follow  in  making 


158  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

the  engine.  Intending  no  more  here  than  the  en- 
deavor to  satisfy  some  others  as  well  as  myself, 
that  there  is  really  such  a  thing  to  be  found  as 
that  long-sought  for  Perpetual  Motion,  which  is 
looked  upon  by  every  one  to  be  the  true  parent  of 
the  Longitude. — Description  of  the  Perpetual 
Motion" : 

A,  a  cup  nearly  full  of  mercury. 

B,  the  height  the  mercury  will  rise  by  its  own 

weight  in — 
K,  the  main  pipe,  when — 

C,  the  lower  cock  is  open. 

E,  a  hollow  globe  which  must  be  capable  of  a 

greater  quantity  than  the  whole  pipe  K. 

F,  the  upper  cock  by  which  the  mercury  is 

filled  into  the  engine  and  about  27  inches 
higher  than  the  line  B. 

D,  the  middle  cock  which,  when  open,  lets  the 

mercury  fall  upon  the  buckets  of  the 
wheel — 

G,  and  then  passing  down — 

I,  a  funnel  which  contracts  itself  at 
L,  into  a  pipe  which  directs  the  mercury  into 

the  cup  A. 

H,  a  case  which  entirely  covers  the  wheel 
(being  of  the  same  metal,  and  of  a  piece 
with  the  pipe),  through  which  the  axis 
of  the  wheel  passes  to  set  another  wheel 
agoing;  so  becom  [ing]  the  principal 
mover  in  the  clock  or  engine  to  be  con- 
trived. 


PERPETUAL    MOTION  159 

The  Manner  of  Setting  It  to  Work 
Stop  the  cock  at  C  and  fill  mercury  into  the 
cup  A,  higher  than  the  line  B ;  then  stop  the  cock 
at  D  and  turn  in  mercury  at  the  cock  F,  till  K  and 
E  are  full;  stop  the  cock  at  F,  very  close,  open 
C,  first,  and  then  D,  out  of  which  the  mercury  will 
fall  upon  the  buckets  of  the  wheel  G,  down  the 
funnel  I,  L,  into  the  cup  A,  and  be  pressed  up  K, 
by  the  weight  of  the  air,  as  in  the  barometer. 

Why  the  Devices  Described  in  this  Chapter 

Failed  to  Work 

The  devices  explained  in  the  preceding  chap- 
ter are  of  such  complicated  and  ridiculous  struc- 
ture that  it  is  impossible  to  explain  anything  from 
them.  It  is  better  to  abandon  them  all  and  to  dis- 
cuss in  a  general  way  why  Perpetual  Motion  has 
not  been,  and  cannot  be,  attained  by  devices  con- 
structed on  similar  plans.  An  examination  of 
the  preceding  devices  in  this  chapter  shows  that 
they  depended  ultimately  upon  the  fact : 

1.  That  air  or  some  other  gas  is  to  be  com- 
pressed by  work  done  upon  it  and  that  upon  ex- 
panding it  will  do  a  greater  amount  of  work  than 
was  required  for  the  compression,  or 

2.  That  a  bag  empty,  or  partially  filled  with 
air,  or  other  gas,  can  be  easily  immersed,  and  that 
if  blown  full  of  gas  while  immersed  it  will,  in  its 
tendency  to  float,  do  more  work  than  was  required 
to  immerse  it,  or 

3.  That  the  weight  of  the  atmosphere  and 
its  consequent  pressure  upon  vacua  can  be  util- 


160  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

ized  to  drive  a  piston,  or  compress  a  bag  and  by 
some  sort  of  means  at  the  same  time  produce 
another  vacua  ready  for  a  similar  operation,  the 
loss  of  the  driven  piston,  or  the  compressed  bag 
being  utilized  to  drive  machinery,  if  desired. 

It  is  now  believed  by  all  scientific  men  that 
none  of  these  things  are  possible.  In  the  first 
place,  it  is  well  known  that  compressed  air  will 
do  exactly  the  same  work  in  regaining  its  former 
volume  that  was  expended  upon  it  to  compress  it, 
and  this  with  absolute  exactness.  In  compress- 
ing the  gas  with  a  piston  the  force  exerted  upon 
the  rod  to  drive  the  piston  must  be  sufficient  not 
only  to  compress  the  gas  but  also  to  overcome  the 
friction  of  the  tight  fitting  piston,  and  further,  if 
the  pressure  on  the  rod  be  removed,  the  expand- 
ing gas  will  deliver  against  the  face  of  the  piston 
exactly  the  force  and  energy  required  to  drive 
the  piston  for  the  compression,  but  not  all  of  this 
can  be  returned  to  any  machinery  driven  by  the 
piston-rod,  for  a  part  will  be  lost  in  the  friction  of 
the  tight-fitting  parts.  Thus  here,  as  elsewhere, 
there  is  an  exact  equivalent  of  energy  a  part  of 
which  is  consumed  in  friction,  and  only  a  part 
available  for  returned  motion.  The  same  thing 
is  true  in  compressing  a  bag,  except  that  possibly 
the  bending  of  the  fabric  is  less  resistance  than 
the  friction  of  the  tight-fitting  piston.  Still,  the 
bending  of  the  fabric  is  some  resistance,  and  con- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  161' 

sequently  the  bag  so  expanding  cannot  return  all 
the  energy  required  for  its  compression,  the  dif- 
ference being  the  loss,  however  slight,  in  the 
bending  of  the  fabric  of  which  the  bag  is  made. 

Again,  let  us  admit  that  a  dilated  bag  is 
easily  immersed  in  water,  and  that  if  inflated  with 
air  there  will  be  considerable  tendency  to  rise,  but 
how  much  energy  is  required  for  the  inflation? 
It  is  manifest  that  if  it  is  immersed  the  weight  of 
the  water  and  its  consequent  pressure  will  resist 
the  attempted  inflation,  and  must  be  overcome 
before  the  inflation  is  complete.  The  deeper  the 
immersion  the  more  the  compression,  and  conse- 
quently the  more  work  required  for  the  inflation. 
If  a  bag  having  a  contents  of  one  cubic  foot  were 
immersed  a  mile  in  fresh  water,  and  if  it  should 
be  attempted  to  inflate  it,  the  reader  will  perhaps 
be  surprised  to  know  that  the  inflation  would 
have  to  be  done  against  a  pressure  of  substan- 
tially 2,400  pounds  to  the  square  inch.  It  is  sim- 
ple that  the  deeper  the  bag  is  immersed  the  more 
work  it  will  do  in  rising  to  the  surface,  but  it  is 
equally  plain  that  the  deeper  it  is  immersed  the 
more  energy  is  required  for  its  inflation.  In 
each  case  the  work  of  inflating  is  exactly  equal  to 
the  work  returned  in  rising  to  the  surface,  and 
there  is  not  one  whit  to  spare  for  running  ma- 
chinery of  any  kind. 

The  third  classes  of  devices  above  mentioned 


162  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

assume  atmospheric  pressure,  and  a  piston  driven 
by  atmospheric  pressure.  This  is  easily  attained, 
but  in  order  for  atmospheric  pressure  to  drive  a 
piston  it  must  only  be  on  one  side  of  the  piston, 
and  when  the  piston  has  been  driven  what  force 
and  energy  will  be  required  to  put  it  in  a  position 
again  such  that  there  will  be  atmosphere  on  only 
one  side,  and  a  vacuum  into  which  it  can  retire, 
on  the  other  side?  It  is  easily  answered.  The 
same  work  must  be  done,  and  the  same  work  ex- 
actly, to  put  the  piston  again  in  the  position  with 
the  vacuum  with  equal  dimensions  into  which  it 
can  be  driven  by  atmospheric  pressure,  that  first 
drove  it  to  occupy  the  vacuum — exactly  the  same 
work,  and  no  less  and  no  more,  except  that  the 
amount  lost  by  friction  must  be  supplied  in  addi- 
tion. 


CHAPTER  V 

MAGNETIC  DEVICES 

A  Magnetic  Pendulum 

Here  we  present  a  device  for  Perpetual  Mo- 
tion by  magnetism,  but  we  are  unable  to  give  the 
inventor's  name  or  his  nativity.  It  seems  to  have 
been  brought  forth  in  the  early  part  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  prior  to  1828.  The  description  is 
as  follows : 

Let  A  A,  in  the  prefixed  engraving,  represent 
two  magnets  revolving  on  axes.  Let  B  represent 
a  larger  magnet,  hanging  on  an  axis,  pendulum 
fashion,  between  the  two  former.  As  the  poles 
of  the  two  smaller  magnets  lie  in  the  same  direc- 
tion, the  effect  will  be  to  draw  the  larger  magnet 
towards  that  on  the  left  hand,  while  it  is  at  the 
same  time  repelled  by  that  on  the  right ;  but  while 
this  is  going  on,  the  upper  end  of  the  large  magnet 
raises  by  means  of  a  guide  wire,  the  tumbler  D, 
which,  just  before  the  magnets  come  in  contact, 
passes  the  perpendicular  and  falls  over,  carrying 
with  it  the  lever  connected  with  the  two  wheels 
C  C,  and  causing  them  to  perform  a  quarter  revo- 
lution ;  these  wheels  are  connected  by  lines  with 
two  small  wheels  fixed  on  the  axles  of  the  two 
magnets  A  A.  While  the  former  make  a  quarter 
revolution,  the  latter  turn  half  round;  conse- 
quently, the  position  of  the  magnets  is  reversed, 
and  the  same  motions  are  then  performed  by  the 


164 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


pendulum  magnet  being  attracted  and  repelled  in 
the  opposite  direction ;  and  just  before  the  mag- 


nets touch  each  other  the  arrangement  is  again 
instantly  reversed. 

Magnetic-Driven  Wheel 

Another  plan  for  Perpetual  Motion  by  mag- 
netism appeared  in  the  public  journals  of  England 
in  1828.  The  inventor  states  in  effect  that  he  de- 
sires to  get  before  the  readers  an 

"Attempt  at  Perpetual  Motion  by  Means  of 
Magnetism,  Applied  in  a  New  Way." 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


165 


His  attempt  as  published  is  as  follows : 
The  object  of  the  present  communication  is 
to  lay  before  your  readers  an  attempt  at  perpet- 
ual motion  by  means  of  magnetism  applied  some- 
what differently  to  any  that  has  yet  been  pub- 
lished in  your  Magazine. 


N 


The  above  is  a  wheel  of  light  construction, 
moving  on  friction  wheels  in  vacuo;  the  rim  is 
furnished  with  slips  of  steel — pieces  of  watch- 
spring  will  do.  N  N  are  two  magnets,  which, 
attracting  the  rim  of  the  wheel,  will  render  one 
side  lighter  and  the  other  heavier,  causing  it  to 
revolve  ad  infinitum:  or  to  render  it  more  power- 
ful, let  the  steel  rims  be  magnetized  and  fixed  on 
the  wheel  with  their  north  poles  towards  its  cen- 
ter. Let  two  more  magnets  be  added,  as  shown 
by  the  dotted  lines :  let  these  two,  S  S,  be  placed 
with  their  south  poles  nearest  the  rim  of  the 
wheel ;  and  the  other  two,  N  N,  with  their  north 
poles  in  that  position.  Now,  as  similar  poles 
repel  and  opposite  poles  attract,  the  wheel  will  be 


166  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

driven  round  by  attraction  and  repulsion  acting 
conjointly  on  four  points  of  its  circumference. 
B  B  are  blocks  of  wood  to  keep  off  the  attraction 
of  the  magnets  from  that  part  of  the  wheel  which 
has  passed  them. 

Mackintosh's  Experiment 

F.  S.  Mackintosh,  of  England,  in  1823, 
sought  to  accomplish  Perpetual  Motion,  and  made 
the  attempt  here  described.  It  was  not  made 
public  until  1836,  when  it  was  published  in  "Me- 
chanics' Magazine."  In  the  meantime,  the  inven- 
tor had  become  convinced  of  the  impossibility  of 
perpetual  motion,  as  his  comments  on  his  own 
alleged  invention  discloses. 

(The  classification  in  this  book  of  Mackin- 
tosh's invention  is  somewhat  doubtful.  The  ar- 
ticle as  contributed  in  1836  would  as  aptly  be 
classified  under  arguments  against  Perpetual  Mo- 
tion, Chapter  XII.  But,  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  at  the  time  of  the  invention  the  inventor  was 
seriously  working  at  a  scheme  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  Perpetual  Motion,  it  has  been  decided  to 
classify  it  under  Magnetic  Perpetual  Motion  De- 
vices.) 

The  published  article  was  in  the  nature  of  a 
contribution  from  the  inventor,  and  is  as  follows : 

I  herewith  forward  you  a  description  of  a 
machine  which  was  constructed  by  me  in  the  year 
1823,  with  a  view  to  produce  a  perpetual  motion. 
With  this  machine  and  the  studies  necessarily 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  167 

connected  with  it,  first  originated  the  suspicion 
that  the  planets  could  not  continue  in  motion  un- 
less they  gradually  approached  the  center  of  the 
attraction. 

In  the  first  place,  let  us  describe  the  machine. 
Fig.  1 :  A  is  a  sectional  view  of  the  interior  of  the 
wheel,  which  is  formed  in  two  halves  upon  one 
shaft;  each  half  or  section  is  furnished  with  a 
projecting  ledge  and  an  opening  is  left  between 
the  two  ledges  sufficiently  wide  to  admit  of  a  mag- 
net being  introduced  between  them,  by  which  ar- 
rangement the  magnet  may  be  brought  as  near 
to  the  ball  as  may  be  necessary  (see  Fig.  2).  B 
is  a  magnet  whose  line  of  attraction  acts  at  right 
angles  with  the  line  of  gravity.  C  is  an  iron  ball 
under  the  action  of  two  forces.  The  magnet  con- 
tinually drawing  the  ball  up  the  inclined  plane 
within  the  wheel,  and  gravity  continually  draw- 
ing it  to  the  bottom,  by  their  united  action  it  was 
supposed  the  wheel  would  revolve  forever,  or  till 
it  was  worn  out;  upon  the  same  principle  that  a 
wheel  revolves  by  the  animal  force  or  muscular 
action  of  a  mouse  or  squirrel,  which  carries  it  up 
the  inclined  plane,  whilst  it  is  continually  drawn 
to  the  bottom  by  the  action  of  gravity,  thereby 
causing  the  wheel  to  revolve  by  the  weight  of  its 
body.  The  model  was  taken  from  the  earth's 
motion  round  the  sun ;  and  the  following  process 
of  reasoning  seemed  to  justify  the  assumption 
that  the  wheel  would  move  on  till  it  was  worn  out : 

"The  earth  is  carried  round  the  sun  by  the 
action  of  two  forces,  one  of  which  is  momentum, 
which  is  not,  in  reality,  a  force  or  cause  of  mo- 


168 


PERPETUAL   MOTION 


tion,  but  an  effect  derived  from  an  original  im- 
pulse ;  and  that  impulse  or  the  momentum  derived 
from  it  is  not  destroyed,  because  there  is  no  re- 
sistance to  the  moving  body — that  is,  there  is  no 
friction.  Well,  I  cannot  make  this  machine  with- 
out having  resistance  to  the  motion — that  is,  fric- 


tion ;  but  to  compensate  for  this  I  have  two  real 
forces,  two  causes  of  motion,  each  of  them 
capable  of  imparting  momentum  to  a  body :  they 
are  both  constant  forces ;  and  from  one  of  them, 
the  magnet,  I  can  obtain  any  power  that  may  be 
required  within  certain  limits." 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  169 

This  reasoning  appeared  conclusive,  and  the 
wheel  was  made;  but  when  the  magnet  was  ap- 
plied instead  of  the  ball  rolling  up  the  inclined 
plane,  the  wheel  moved  backwards  upon  its  cen- 
ter. It  occurred  to  me  that  by  placing  a  small 
ratchet  upon  the  wheel,  as  shown  at  D,  this  back- 
ward motion  of  the  wheel  on  its  center  might  be 
prevented,  in  which  case  the  ball  must  roll  up  the 
inclined  plane,  and  that  a  perpetual  motion  might 
then  ensue ;  but  this  ratchet  I  never  tried,  having 
about  that  time  begun  to  perceive  that  the  idea  of 
a  perpetual  mechanical  motion,  either  on  the  earth 
or  in  the  heavens,  involves  an  absurdity ;  and  that, 
therefore,  the  motions  of  the  planets  must  neces- 
sarily carry  them  continually  nearer  and  nearer 
to  the  center  of  attraction. 

The  above  described  device  by  Mr.  Mackin- 
tosh brought  forth  the  following  comment  from 
R.  Munro,  which  was  published  in  1836: 

The  result  of  Mr.  Mackintosh's  essay  at 
perpetual  motion  might  be  attributed  to  the  avoid- 
able friction  caused  by  the  manner  in  which  the 
iron  ball  is  placed  in  the  wheel.  Curious  to  try  the 
experiment,  I  proceeded,  and,  with  the  view  of 
diminishing  the  friction,  I  placed  two  wheels  on 
the  axis  of  the  ball,  but  the  result  was  precisely 
that  described  by  Mr.  Mackintosh.  I  next  ap- 
plied the  ratchet,  as  suggested,  but  with  no  better 
effect;  the  ball  rolled  towards  the  magnet,  but 
did  not  give  the  required  motion  to  the  wheel.  It 
is  not  unlikely,  then,  that  the  present  ingenious 
attempt  will  not  be  realized. 


170  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

Spence's  Device 

John  Spence,  of  Linlithgow,  Scotland,  was  a 
shoemaker,  but  possessed  great  mechanical  in- 
genuity, He  could  not  keep  his  mind  from  the 
subject  of  mechanics.  He  devoted  a  great  deal  of 
time  to  designing  mechanical  schemes  for  Per- 
petual Motion.  An  account  of  his  efforts  is  taken 
from  "Percy  Anecdotes." 

The  device  was  exhibited  in  Edinburgh  and 
amazing  to  state  it  attracted  the  attention  of  one 
of  the  greatest  and  most  original  scientists  that 
ever  lived,  Sir  David  Brewster. 

It  is  from  a  letter  written  by  Brewster,  in 
1818,  to  the  "Annales  de  Chimie,"  that  we  get  a 
description  of  the  Spence  invention.  The  editor  of 
"Annales.de  Chimie,"  was  evidently  reluctant  to 
publish  any  article  concerning  Perpetual  Motion, 
and  only  the  great  fame  of  Sir  David  induced  him 
to  give  space  to  the  contribution.  The  article  was 
first  published  in  France,  but  it  has,  with  an  intro- 
ductory statement  by  the  editor,  been  translated 
into  English,  as  follows  : 

The  reader  will  readily  conclude  that  in  pub- 
lishing this  article  we  are  influenced  solely  by  the 
great  reputation  of  the  learned  contributor.  Sir 
David  writes  from  Edinburgh : 

I  am  almost  afraid  to  inform  you  that  at  this 
moment  in  Edinburgh  may  be  seen  a  machine, 
made  by  a  shoemaker  at  Linlithgow,  which  real- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


171 


izes  the  perpetual  motion.  This  effect  is  produced 
by  two  magnets  A  and  B,  acting  alternately  upon 
a  needle  m  n,  of  which  the  point  of  attachment  n 
corresponds  exactly  with  the  axis  around  which 
A  B 

cm.  r  .cm 


C"  D' 

turns  the  movable  lever  C  D.  When  the  needle 
m  n  has  been  attracted  into  the  position  mf  n  by 
the  action  of  the  magnet  B,  and  C  D  is  in  con- 
sequence found  in  C'  D',  a  substance  connected 
with  m  n  is  interposed  by  mechanism  between  m' 
n  and  B.  This  substance  has  the  property  of 
intercepting,  or  rather  of  modifying  the  action 
of  the  magnet  B,  and  this  permits  the  other  mag- 
net A  to  draw  the  needle  into  the  position  m"  n; 
but  no  sooner  has  it  reached  this  point  than  a 
second  plate  or  layer  of  the  same  substance  places 
itself  before  magnet,  and  immediately  B  attracts 
anew  the  needle. 


The  annexed  figure  exhibits  a  second  form 
the  machine.     A  and  B  are  two  horse-shoe 


172  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

magnets,  a  and  b  the  mysterious  substance,  and 
m  n  the  needle,  which  turns  constantly  with  great 
rapidity.  Mr.  Playfair  and  Capt.  Kater  have 
inspected  both  of  these  machines,  and  are  satis- 
fied that  they  resolve  the  problem  of  perpetual 
motion. 

Joannis  Theisneri's  Semi-Circle 

An  account  of  this  invention  has  been  pre- 
served by  Caspar  Schott  in  a  work  entitled 
"Thaumaturgus  Physicus,  sive  Magiae  Univer- 
salis  Naturae  et  Artis,"  published  in  1859.  It  is 
illustrated  by  the  following  figure : 

PIC.  3. 


The  inventor  expected  the  operation  of  his 
device  to  be  as  follows :  "A"  is  a  large  magnet, 
elevated  on  a  short  pillar  at  the  foot  of  which  is 
a  straight  inclined  tube,  "C"  "F"  the  ends  of 
which  are  connected  with  a  curved  or  semi-circu- 
lar tube  "C",  "D",  "E",  "F',  as  shown  in  the 
figure. 

The  weight  at  the  lower  extremity  is  sup- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  173 

posed  to  ascend  through  the  curved  tube  by  the 
attraction  of  the  magnet  "A"  and  upon  reaching 
the  point  "C"  the  supposition  was  that  upon  pass- 
ing the  point  "C"  the  attraction  of  the  magnet 
"A"  would  be  sufficient  to  hold  it  there  *  *  * 
back  to  the  point  "F"  through  the  straight  tube, 
and  then  be  drawn  by  the  magnet  through  the 
curved  tube  to  the  point  "C"  and  so  on  perpetu- 
ally. 

The  impracticability  of  the  above  device  is 
manifest.  At  a  point  between  "D"  and  "E"  it  is 
plain  the  ball  would  have  to  ascend  perpendicu- 
larly and  if  the  magnet  exerts  sufficient  attraction 
to  elevate  the  weight  at  that  point  it  would  surely 
hold  the  weight  at  the  point  "C",  for  at  "C"  the 
weight  would  be  much  nearer  the  magnet  and  con- 
sequently much  more  strongly  attracted. 

Device  of  Dr.  Jacobus 

In  the  same  work  by  Caspar  Schott  from 
which  an  account  of  the  preceding  device  is  ob- 
tained he  gives  an  account  of  the  device  of  Dr. 
Jacobus. 

Dr.  Jacobus's  scheme  is  illustrated  by  the 
following  figure : 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  above  figure 
shows  a  string  of  iron  balls  "A"  suspended  on  a 
grooved  wheel  "E"  on  an  axle  "C"  between  two 
uprights  "FF".  At  "H"  lies  a  large  lodestone, 


174 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


which  is  to  attract  the  balls  at  "D"  and  was  ex- 
pected by  the  inventor  to  cause  the  wheel  to  ro- 
tate. 


CHAPTER  VI 

DEVICES  UTILIZING  CAPILLARY  AT- 

TRACTION AND  PHYSICAL 

AFFINITY 

Ludeke  and  Wilckens's  Device 

In  1864,  Johann  Ernst  Friedrich  Ludeke,  of 
London,  and  Daniel  Wilckens,  of  Surrey,  applied 
for  British  patent  on  "Improvements  in  Motive 
Power  by  Capillary  Attraction."  They  describe 
their  invention  as  follows  : 

Our  invention  consists  of  improvements  in 


.2. 


motive  power  by  capillary  attraction  constructed 
as  follows: 

Figure  1  of  the  accompanying  drawings  rep- 
resents in  horizontal  section  a  square  case  or  cis- 
tern; this  cistern  is  filled  with  water  nearly  to 
the  top,  and  two  wheels  marked  a,  a,  and  b,  b,  are 
placed  in  the  water  in  the  cistern.  By  capillary 
attraction  the  water  rises  between  the  two  wheels 
marked  x,  x,  to  a  height  above  the  level  of  the 


176  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

water  in  proportion  to  the  distance  of  the  wheels 
from  each  other  at  x,  x.  As  the  water  rises  be- 
tween the  wheels  marked  x,  x,  above  its  level,  the 
weight  of  water  between  the  wheels  at  x,  x,  will 
cause  the  wheels  to  continually  revolve. 

Figure  2  represents  the  same,  as  Figure  1, 
but  in  a  vertical  section.  The  said  power  may  be 
obtained  by  wheels  moved  on  axis,  or  by  other 
apparatus  by  rise  and  fall  in  the  water  by  vertical 
motion. 

The  Jurin  Device 

The  device  which  we  have  designated  "The 
Jurin  Device,"  was  not,  in  fact,  invented  by  Jurin. 
James  Jurin  furnished  an  account  of  the  invention 
to  The  Royal  Society  of  London,  and  it  appears 
in  the  reports  of  that  society  published  in  1720. 
The  invention  was  by  a  friend  of  Jurin's  whose 
name  he  does  not  give  in  the  account. 

Jurin's  account  of  his  friend's  invention  is  as 
follows :  , 

Some  days  ago  a  method  was  proposed  to  me 
by  an  ingenious  friend  for  making  a  perpetual 
motion,  which  seemed  so  plausible,  and  indeed  so 
easily  demonstrable  from  an  observation  of  the 
late  Mr.  Hawksbee,  said  to  be  grounded  upon  ex- 
periment, that  though  I  am  far  from  having  any 
opinion  of  attempts  of  this  nature,  yet,  I  confess, 
I  could  not  see  why  it  should  not  succeed.  Upon 
trial  indeed  I  found  myself  disappointed.  But 
as  searches  after  things  impossible  in  themselves 
are  frequently  observed  to  produce  other  dis- 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  177 

coveries,  unexpected  by  the  Inventor;  so  this 
Proposa^Jias  given  occasion  not  only  to  rectify 
some  mistakes  into  which  we  had  been  led,  by  that 
ingenious  and  useful  member  of  the  Royal  Society 
above  named,  but  likewise  to  detect  the  real  prin- 
ciple, by  which  water  is  raised  and  suspended  in 
capillary  tubes,  above  the  level. 

My  friend's  proposal  was  as  follows : 

Fig.  1.  Let  A  B  C  be  a  capillary  siphon, 
composed  of  two  legs  A  B,  B  C,  unequal  both  in 
length  and  diameter ;  whose  longer  and  narrower 
leg  A  B  having  its  orifice  A  immersed  in  water, 
the  water  will  rise  above  the  level,  till  it  fills  the 
whole  tube  A  B,  and  will  then  continue  suspended. 
If  the  wider  and  shorter  leg  B  C,  be  in  like  man- 
ner immersed,  the  water  will  only  rise  to  same 
height  as  F  C,  less  than  the  entire  height  of  the 
tube  B  C. 

This  siphon  being  filled  with  water  and  the 
orifice  A  sunk  below  the  surface  of  the  water  D 
E,  my  friend  reasons  thus : 

Since  the  two  columns  of  ^water  A  B  and  F  C, 
by  the  supposition,  will  be  suspended  by  some 
power  acting  within  the  tubes  they  are  contained 
in,  they  cannot  determine  the  water  to  move  one 
way,  or  the  other.  But  the  column  B  F,  having 
nothing  to  support  it,  must  descend,  and  cause  the 
water  to  run  out  at  C.  Then  the  pressure  of  the 
atmosphere  driving  the  water  upward  through 
the  orifice  A,  to  supply  the  vacuity,  which  would 
otherwise  be  left  in  the  upper  part  of  the  tube  B  Cs 
this  must  necessarily  produce  a  perpetual  motion, 


178 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  179 

since  the  water  runs  into  the  same  vessel,  out  of 
which  it  rises.  But  the  fallacy  of  this  reasoning 
appears  upon  making  the  experiment. 

Exp.  1.  For  the  water,  instead  of  running 
out  at  the  orifice  C  rises  upwards  towards  F,  and 
running  all  out  of  the  leg  B  C,  remains  suspended 
in  the  other  leg  to  the  height  A  B. 

Exp.  2.  The  same  thing  succeeds  upon 
taking  the  siphon  out  of  the  water,  into  which  its 
lower  orifice  A  had  been  immersed,  the  water  then 
falling  in  drops  out  of  the  orifice  A,  and  standing 
at  last  at  the  height  A  B.  But  in  making  these 
two  experiments  it  is  necessary  that  A  G  the  dif- 
ference of  the  legs  exceed  F  C,  otherwise  the 
water  will  not  run  either  way. 

Exp.  3.  Upon  inverting  the  siphon  full  of 
water,  it  continues  without  motion  either  way. 

The  reason  of  all  which  will  plainly  appear, 
when  we  come  to  discover  the  principle,  by  which 
the  water  is  suspended  in  capillary  tubes. 

Mr.  Hawksbee's  observation  is  as  follows: 

Fig.  2.  Let  A  B  F  C  be  a  capillary  siphon, 
into  which  the  water  will  rise  above  the  level  to 
the  height  C  F,  and  let  B  A  be  the  depth  of  the 
orifice  of  its  longer  leg  below  the  surface  of  the 
water  D  E.  Then  the  siphon  being  filled  with 
water,  if  B  A  be  not  greater  than  C  F,  the  water 
will  not  run  out  at  A,  but  will  remain  suspended. 

This  seems  indeed  very  plausible  at  first 
sight.  For  since  the  column  of  water  F  C  will  be 
suspended  by  some  power  within  the  tube,  why 
should  not  the  column  B  A,  being  equal  to,  or  less 


180  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

than  the  former,  continue  suspended  by  the  same 
power. 

Exp.  4.  In  fact,  if  the  orifice  C  be  lifted  up 
out  of  the  water  D  E,  the  water  in  the  tube  will 
continue  suspended,  unless  B  A  exceed  F  C. 

Exp.  5.  But  when  C  is  never  so  little  im- 
mersed in  the  water  immediately  the  water  in  the 
tube  runs  out  in  drops  at  the  orifice  A,  though 
the  length  A  B  be  considerably  less  than  the 
height  C  F. 

Mr.  Hawksbee,  in  his  book  of  Experiments, 
has  advanced  another  observation,  namely,  that 
the  shorter  leg  of  a  capillary  siphon,  as  A  B  F  C, 
must  be  immersed  in  the  water  to  the  depth  F  C, 
which  is  equal  to  the  height  of  the  column,  that 
would  be  suspended  in  it,  before  the  water  will 
run  out  of  the  longer  leg. 

Exp.  6.  From  what  mistake  this  has  pro- 
ceeded, I  cannot- imagine;  for  the  water  runs  out 
at  the  longer  leg,  as  soon  as  the  orifice  of  the 
shorter  leg  comes  to.touch  the  surface  of  the  stag- 
nant water,  without  being  at  all  immersed  therein. 

Jurin's  attitude  concerning  his  friend's  dis- 
covery is  pleasing.  He  appears  to  have  had  bet- 
ter judgment  than  to  rush  into  print,  or  herald 
forth  that  Perpetual  Motion  had  been  accom- 
plished. Indeed,  the  account  as  given  to  the  Royal 
Society  was  that  of  an  experiment  and  a  failure. 
Nevertheless,  it  presents  an  interesting  point. 
Capillary  Attraction,  however,  creates  no  new 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  181 

energy.  Adhesion  is  a  force,  and  is  often  quite  a 
strong  force  in  nature. 

If  a  rod  or  tube  be  held  by  the  hand  at  one 
end,  and  the  other  end  inserted  in  a  liquid,  it  will 
be  observed  that  in  some  instances,  depending 
upon  the  nature  of  the  material  of  the  rod  or  tube, 
and  the  liquid,  at  the  point  of  contact  the  liquid 
will  slightly  rise  in  the  tube  and  on  the  outside 
edges  of  the  tube.  In  other  instances  it  will  be 
depressed  slightly  at  the  same  point.  Whether  it 
will  be  elevated  or  depressed  depends  on  whether 
the  adhesion  of  the  liquid  to'the  material  of  which 
the  tube  or  rod  is  composed  is  greater  than  the 
cohesion  of  the  particles  of  the  liquid. 

If  there  be  a  depression  it  is  manifest  that 
the  entire  surface  of  the  liquid  will  be  slightly  ele- 
vated by  reason  of  the  depression.  On  the  con- 
trary, if  the  liquid  adheres  to  and  creeps  slightly 
upward  on  the  tube  or  rod,  then  it  is  manifest  that 
the  surface  of  the  liquid  will  come  to  rest  slightly 
lower  than  though  it  did  not  so  creep. 

The  net  result  finally  gets  back  to  the  prin- 
ciple of  flotation.  The  immersion  or  insertion  is 
a  little  more  difficult  in  the  case  of  depression,  and 
a  little  easier  in  the  case  of  elevation.  There  is 
no  gain  or  loss  of  energy.  It  simply  increases  in 
one  case,  and  diminishes  in  the  other  case  the 
amount  of  displacement,  with  all  the  resulting 
mechanical  phenomena. 


182  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

Sir  William  Congreve 

As  stated  in  the  preface  of  this  work,  pursuit 
of  Perpetual  Motion  has  by  no  means  been  con- 
fined to  mechanics  and  tradesmen.  Many  men 
eminent,  and  even  famous  in  professions,  art  and 
science  have  devoted  much  time  and  thought  to 
the  subject.  Among  such  eminent  men  is  to  be 
mentioned  Sir  William  Congreve,  of  England,  a 
baronet.  He  was  born  1772,  and  died  ;n  1828. 
He  was  an  artillerist  and  an  inventor,  and  was  a 
son  of  Lieutenant  General  Sir  William  Congreve ; 
was  distinguished  as  a  military  man,  as  a  member 
of  parliament,  and  as  a  business  man;  was  an 
inventor  of  note,  having  invented  a  war  rocket,  a 
gun-recoil  mounting,  a  time- fuse,  a  parachute  at- 
tachment for  rockets,  a  hydro-pneumatic  canal 
lock  sluice,  a  process  for  color  painting,  a  new 
form  of  steam  engine,  a  method  of  consuming 
smoke,  a  clock  which  measured  time  by  a  ball  roll- 
ing down  an  inclined  plane,  besides  other  inven- 
tions and  discoveries.  He  published  a  large  num- 
ber of  works  on  scientific  subjects. 

It  is  not,  therefore,  surprising  that  whatever 
Sir  William  Congreve  said  or  did  concerning  any 
scientific  or  mechanical  subject  should  have  at- 
tracted general  attention. 

He  devised  and  made  a  Perpetual  Motion 
Machine,  which,  like  all  others,  failed  to  work. 
We  submit  that  his  plan  is  peculiarly  ingenious, 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  183 

and  we  fail  to  see  how,  without  a  knowledge  of 
the  principles  of  Conservation  of  Energy,  the 
Congreve  idea  should  not  have  appealed  to  any 
one  as  reasonable,  and  its  failure  puzzling. 

An  account  of  the  Congreve  device  and  an 
explanation  of  his  ideas  appeared  in  "The  Atlas'* 
in  1827,  and  the  following  description  is  taken 
from  the  article  appearing  in  "The  Atlas" : 

The  celebrated  Boyle  entertained  an  idea 
that  perpetual  motion  might  be  obtained  by  means 
of  capillary  attraction;  and,  indeed,  there  seems 
but  little  doubt  that  nature  has  employed  this 
force  in  many  instances  to  produce  this  effect. 

There  are  many  situations  in  which  there  is 
every  reason  to  believe  that  the  sources  of  springs 
on  the  tops  and  sides  of  mountains  depend  on  the 
accumulation  of  water  created  at  certain  eleva- 
tions by  the  operation  of  capillary  attraction,  act- 
ing in  large  masses  of  porous  material,  or  through 
laminated  substances.  These  masses  being 
saturated,  in  process  of  time  become  the  sources 
of  springs  and  the  heads  of  rivers ;  and  thus,  by 
an  endless  round  of  ascending  and  descending 
waters,  form,  on  the  great  scale  of  nature,  an 
incessant  cause  of  perpetual  motion,  in  the  purest 
acceptance  of  the  term,  and  precisely  on  the  prin- 
ciple that  was  contemplated  by  Boyle.  It  is  prob- 
able, however,  that  any  imitation  of  this  process 
on  the  limited  scale  practicable  by  human  art 
would  not  be  of  sufficient  magnitude  to  be  effect- 
ive. Nature,  by  the  immensity  of  her  operations, 
is  able  to  allow  for  a  slowness  of  process  which 


184 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


would  baffle  the  attempts  of  man  in  any  direct 
and  simple  imitation  of  her  works.  Working, 
therefore,  upon  the  same  causes,  he  finds  himself 
obliged  to  take  a  more  complicated  mode  to  pro- 
duce the  same  effect. 

To  amuse  the  hours  of  a  long  confinement 
from  illness,  Sir  William  Congreve  has  recently 
contrived  a  scheme  of  perpetual  motion,  founded 
on  this  principle  of  capillary  attraction,  which,  it 
is  apprehended,  will  not  be  subject  to  the  general 
refutation  applicable  to  those  plans  in  which  the 
power  is  supposed  to  be  derived  from  gravity 
only.  Sir  William's  perpetual  motion  is  as  fol- 
lows: 

.  i.) 


Let  A  B  C  be  three  horizontal  rollers  fixed 
in  a  frame;  a  a  a,  etc.,  is  an  endless  band  of 
sponge,  running  round  these  rollers ;  and  b  b  b, 
etc.,  is  an  endless  chain  of  weights,  surrounding 
the  band  of  sponge,  and  attached  to  it,  so  that  they 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  185 

must  move  together ;  every  part  of  this  band  and 
chain  being  so  accurately  uniform  in  weight  that 
the  perpendicular  side  A  B  will,  in  all  positions 
of  the  band  and  chain,  be  in  equilibrium  with  the 
hypothenuse  A  C,  on  the  principle  of  the  inclined 
plane.  Now,  if  the  frame  in  which  these  rollers 
are  fixed  be  placed  in  a  cistern  of  water,  having 
its  lower  part  immersed  therein,  so  that  the 
water's  edge  cuts  the  upper  part  of  the  rollers  B 
C,  then,  if  the  weight  and  quantity  of  the  endless 
chain  be  duly  proportioned  to  the  thickness  and 
breadth  of  the  band  of  sponge,  the  band  and  chain 
will,  on  the  water  in  the  cistern  being  brought  to 
the  proper  level,  begin  to  move  round  the  rollers 
in  the  direction  A  B,  by  the  force  of  capillary  at- 
traction, and  will  continue  so  to  move.  The 
process  is  as  follows : 

On  the  side  A  B  of  the  triangle,  the  weights 
b  b  b,  etc.,  hanging  perpendicularly  alongside  the 
band  of  sponge,  the  band  is  not  compressed  by 
them,  and  its  pores  being  left  open,  the  water  at 
the  point  x,  at  which  the  band  meets  its  surface, 
will  rise  to  a  certain  height,  y,  above  its  level,  and 
thereby  create  a  load,  which  load  will  not  exist  on 
the  ascending  side  C  A,  because  on  this  side  the 
chain  of  weights  compresses  the  band  at  the 
water's  edge,  and  squeezes  out  any  water  that 
may  have  previously  accumulated  in  it;  so  that 
the  band  rises  in  a  dry  state,  the  weight  of  the 
chain  having  been  so  proportioned  to  the  breadth 
and  thickness  of  the  band  as  to  be  sufficient  to 
produce  this  effect.  The  load,  therefore,  on  the 
descending  side  A  B,  not  being  opposed  by  any 


186  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

similar  load  on  the  ascending  side,  and  the  equi- 
librium of  the  other  parts  not  being  disturbed  by 
the  alternate  expansion  and  compression  of  the 
sponge,  the  band  will  begin  to  move  in  the  direc- 
tion A  B;  and  as  it  moves  downwards,  the  ac- 
cumulation of  water  will  continue  to  rise,  and 
thereby  carry  on  a  constant  motion,  provided  the 
load  at  x  y  be  sufficient  to  overcome  the  friction 
on  the  rollers  ABC. 

Now,  to  ascertain  the  quantity  of  this  load 
in  any  particular  machine,  it  must  be  stated  that 
it  is  found  by  experiment  that  the  water  will  rise 
in  a  fine  sponge  about  an  inch  above  its  level ;  if, 
therefore,  the  band  and  sponge  be  one  foot  thick 
and  six  feet  broad,  the  area  of  its  horizontal  sec- 
tion in  contact  with  the  water  would  be  864  square 
inches,  and  the  weight  of  the  accumulation  of 
water  raised  by  the  capillary  attraction  being  one 
inch  rise  upon  864  square  inches,  would  be  30 
Ibs.,  which,  it  is  conceived,  would  be  much  more 
than  equivalent  to  the  friction  of  the  rollers. 

The  deniers  of  this  proposition,  on  the  first 
view  of  the  subject,  will  say,  it  is  true  the  accumu- 
lation of  the  weight  on  the  descending'  side  thus 
occasioned  by  the  capillary  attraction  would  pro- 
duce a  perpetual  motion,  if  there  were  not  as 
much  power  lost  on  the  ascending  side  by  the 
change  of  position  of  the  weights,  in  pressing  the 
water  out  of  the  sponge. 

The  point  now  to  be  established  is,  that  the 
change  in  the  position  of  the  weights  will  not 
cause  any  loss  of  power.  For  this  purpose,  we 
must  refer  to  the  following  diagram. 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


18? 


With  reference  to  this  diagram,  suppose 
a  a  a,  etc.,  an  endless  strap,  and  b  b  b,  etc.,  an 
endless  chain  running  round  the  rollers;  ABC 
not  having  any  sponge  between  them,  but  kept  at 
a  certain  distance  from  each  other  by  small  and 
inflexible  props,  p  p  p,  etc.,  then  the  sides  A  B 
and  C  A  would,  in  all  positions  of  this  system,  be 
precisely  an  equilibrium,  so  as  to  require  only  a 
small  increment  of  weight  on  either  side  to  pro- 
duce motion.  Now,  we  contend  that  this  equi- 
librium would  still  remain  unaffected,  if  small 
springs  were  introduced  in  lieu  of  the  inflexible 


props  p  p  p,  so  that  the  chain  bbb  might  approach 
the  lower  strap  a  a  a,  by  compressing  these  small 
springs  with  its  weight  on  the  ascending  side ;  for 
although  the  centre  of  gravity  of  any  portion  of 
chain  would  move  in  a  different  line  in  the  latter 
case — for  instance,  in  the  dotted  line — still  the 
quantity  of  the  actual  weight  of  every  inch  of  the 


188  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

strap  and  chain  would  remain  precisely  the  same 
in  the  former  case,  where  they  are  kept  at  the 
same  distance  in  all  positions,  as  in  the  latter  case, 
where  they  approach  on  the  ascending  side ;  and 
so,  also,  these  equal  portions  of  weights,  notwith- 
standing any  change  of  distance  between  their 
several  parts  which  may  take  place  in  one  case 
and  not  in  the  other,  would  in  both  cases  rise  and 
fall,  though  the  same  perpendicular  space,  and 
consequently  the  equilibrium,  would  be  equally 
preserved  in  both  cases,  though  in  the  first  case 
they  may  rise  and  fall  through  rather  more  than 
in  the  second.  The  application  of  this  demonstra- 
tion to  the  machine  described  in  Fig.  1,  is  obvious ; 
for  the  compression  of  the  sponge  by  the  sinking 
of  the  weights  on  the  ascending  side,  in  pressing 
out  the  water,  produces  precisely  the  same  effect 
as  to  the  position  and  ascent  of  the  weights,  as  the 
approach  of  the  chain  to  the  lower  strap  on  the 
ascending  side,  in  Fig.  2,  by  the  compression  of 
the  springs;  and  consequently,  if  the  equilibrium 
is  not  affected  in  one  case — that  is,  in  Fig.  2,  as 
above  demonstrated — it  will  not  be  affected  in  the 
other  case,  Fig.  1 ;  and,  therefore,  the  water  would 
be  squeezed  out  by  the  pressure  of  the  chain  with- 
out any  loss  of  power.  The  quantity  of  weight 
necessary  for  squeezing  dry  any  given  quantity 
of  sponge  must  be  ascertained  and  duly  appor- 
tioned by  experiment.  It  is  obvious,  however, 
that  whether  one  cubic  inch  of  sponge  required 
one,  two,  or  four  ounces  for  this  purpose,  it  would 
not  affect  the  equilibrium,  since,  whatever  were 
the  proportion  on  the  ascending  side,  precisely  the 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  18S 

same  would  the  proportion  be  on  the  descending 
side. 

This  principle  is  capable  of  application  in 
various  ways,  and  with  a  variety  of  materials.  It 
may  be  produced  by  a  single  roller  or  wheel. 
Mercury  may  also  be  substituted  for  water,  by 
using  a  series  of  metallic  plates  instead  of 
sponges ;  and,  as  the  mercury  will  be  found  to  rise 
to  a  much  greater  height  between  these  plates, 
than  water  will  do  in  a  sponge,  it  will  be  found 
that  the  power  to  be  obtained  by  the  latter  ma- 
terials wrill  be  from  70  to  80  times  as  great  as  by 
the  use  of  water.  Thus,  a  machine,  of  the  same 
dimensions  as  given  above,  would  have  a  constant 
power  of  2,000  Ibs.  acting  upon  it. 

We  now  proceed  to  show  how  the  principle 
of  perpetual  motion  proposed  by  Sir  William  Con- 
greve  may  be  applied  upon  one  centre  instead  of 
three. 

In  the  following  figure,  abed  represents  a 
drum-wheel  or  cylinder,  moving  on  a  horizontal 
axis  surrounded  with  a  band  of  sponge  123456 
7  8,  and  immersed  in  water,  so  that  the  surface  of 
the  water  touches  the  lower  end  of  the  cylinder. 
Now  then,  if,  as  in  Fig.  2,  the  water  on  the 
descending  side  b  be  allowed  to  accumulate  in  the 
sponge  at  x,  while,  on  the  ascending  side  D,  the 
sponge  at  the  water's  edge  shall,  by  any  means 
not  deranging  the  equilibrium,  be  so  compressed 
that  it  shall  quit  the  water  in  a  dry  state,  the 
accumulation  of  water  above  its  level  at  x,  by  the 
capillary  attraction,  will  be  a  source  of  constant 
rotary  motion;  and,  in  the  present  case,  it  will 


190  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

be  found  that  the  means  of  compressing  the 
sponge  may  be  best  obtained  by  buoyancy,  instead 
of  weight. 

For  this  purpose,  therefore,  the  band  of 
sponge  is  supposed  to  be  divided  into  eight  or 
more  equal  parts,  1234,  etc.,  each  part  being 
furnished  with  a  float  or  buoyant  vessel,  /  1,  /  2, 
etc.,  rising  and  falling  upon  spindles,  s  s  s,  etc., 
fixed  in  the  periphery  of  the  drum;  these  floats 
being  of  such  dimensions  that,  when  immersed  in 
water,  the  buoyancy  or  pressure  upwards  of  each 
shall  be  sufficient  to  compress  that  portion  of  the 
sponge  connected  with  it,  so  as  to  squeeze  out 
any  water  it  may  have  absorbed.  These  floats 
are  further  arranged  by  means  of  levers  /  /  /,  etc., 
and  plates  p  p  p,  etc.,  so  that,  when  the  float  /  No. 
1  becomes  immersed  in  the  water,  its  buoyant 
pressure  upwards  acts  not  against  the  portion  of 
the  sponge  No.  1,  immediately  above  it,  but 
against  No.  2,  next  in  front  of  it ;  and  so,  in  like 
manner,  the  buoyancy  of  /  No.  2  float  acts  on  the 
portion  of  the  sponge  No.  3,  and  /  No.  3  float 
upon  No.  4  sponge. 

Now,  from  this  arrangement  it  follows,  that 
the  portion  of  sponge  No.  4,  which  is  about  to  quit 
the  water,  is  pressed  upon  by  that  float,  which, 
from  acting  vertically,  is  most  efficient  in  squeez- 
ing the  sponge  dry;  while  that  portion  of  the 
sponge  No.  1,  on  the  point  of  entering  the  water, 
is  not  compressed  at  all  from  its  corresponding 
float  No.  8,  not  having  yet  reached  the  edge  of  the 
water.  By  these  means,  therefore,  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  sponge  always  rises  in  a  dry  state  from 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


191 


the  water  on  the  ascending  side,  while  it  ap- 
proaches the  water  on  the  descending  side  in  an 
uncompressed  state,  and  open  to  the  full  action  of 
absorption  by  the  capillary  attraction. 

The  great  advantage  of  effecting  this  by  the 
buoyancy  of  light  vessels  instead  of  a  burthen  of 
weights,  as  in  Fig.  2,  is  that,  by  a  due  arrange- 
ment of  the  dimensions  and  buoyancy  of  the  floats 
immersed,  the  whole  machine  may  be  made  to 


WATER 


float  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  so  as  to  take  off 
all  friction  whatever  from  the  centre  of  suspen- 
sion. Thus,  therefore,  we  have  a  cylindrical  ma- 
chine revolving  on  a  single  centre  without  fric- 
tion, and  having  a  collection  of  water  in  the 
sponge  on  the  descending  side,  while  the  sponge 
on  the  ascending  side  is  continually  dry;  and  if 
this  cylinder  be  six  feet  wide,  and  the  sponge  that 
surrounds  it  one  foot  thick,  there  will  be  a  con- 
stant moving  power  of  thirty  pounds  on  the 


192  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

descending  side,  without  any  friction  to  counter- 
act it. 

It  has  been  already  stated,  that  to  perpetuate 
the  motion  of  this  machine,  the  means  used  to 
leave  the  sponge  open  on  the  descending  side, 
and  press  it  dry  on  the  ascending  side,  must  be 
such  as  will  not  derange  the  equilibrium  of  the 
machine  when  floating  in  water.  As,  therefore, 
in  this  case  the  effect  is  produced  by  the  ascent  of 
the  buoyant  floats  b,  to  demonstrate  the  perpetuity 
of  the  motion,  we  must  show  that  the  ascent  of  the 
floats  /  No.  1  and  /  No.  3  will  be  equal  in  all  cor- 
responding situations  on  each  side  of  the  per- 
pendicular ;  for  the  only  circumstance  that  could 
derange  the  equilibrium  on  this  system,  would  be 
that  /  No.  1  and  /  No.  3  should  not  in  all  such 
corresponding  situations  approach  the  centre  of 
motion  equally ;  for  it  is  evident  that  in  the  posi- 
tion of  the  floats  described  in  the  above  figure,  if 
/  No.  1  float  did  not  approach  the  centre  as  much 
as  /  No.  3,  the  equilibrium  would  be  destroyed, 
and  the  greater  distance  of  /  No.  1  from  the 
centre  than  that  of  /  No.  3  would  create  a  re- 
sistance to  the  moving  force  caused  by  the  ac- 
cumulation of  the  water  at  x. 

It  will  be  found,  however,  that  the  floats  / 
No.  1  and  /  No.  3  do  retain  equal  distances  from 
the  centre  in  all  corresponding  situations,  for  the 
resistance  to  their  approach  to  the  centre  by 
buoyancy  is  the  elasticity  of  the  sponge  at  the 
extremity  of  the  respective  levers;  and  as  this 
elasticity  is  the  same  in  all  situations,  while  this 
centrifugal  force  of  the  float  /  No.  1  is  equal  to 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  193 

that  of  the  float  /  No.  3,  at  equal  distances  from 
the  perpendicular,  the  floats  /  No.  1  and  /  No.  3 
will,  in  all  corresponding  situations  on  either  side 
of  the  perpendicular,  be  at  equal  distances  from 
the  centre.  It  is  true,  that  the  force  by  which 
these  floats  approach  the  centre  of  motion  varies 
according  to  the  obliquity  of  the  spindles  on  which 
they  work,  it  being  greatest  in  the  perpendicular 
position ;  but,  as  the  obliquity  of  these  spindles  is 
the  same  at  all  equal  distances  from  the  perpen- 
dicular, and  as  the  resistance  of  the  ascent  of  the 
floats  is  equal  in  all  cases,  the  center  of  buoyancy 
will  evidently  describe  a  similar  curve  on  each 
side  of  the  perpendicular;  and  consequently  the 
equilibrium  will  be  preserved,  so  as  to  leave  a 
constant  moving  force  at  x,  equal  to  the  whole 
accumulation  of  water  in  the  sponge.  Nor  will 
this  equilibrium  be  disturbed  by  any  change  of 
position  in  the  floats  not  immersed  in  the  water, 
since,  being  duly  connected  with  the  sponge  by 
the  levers  and  plates,  they  will  evidently  arrange 
themselves  at  equal  distances  from  the  center,  in 
all  corresponding  situations  on  either  side. 

It  may  be  said  that  the  equilibrium  of  the 
band  of  sponge  may  be  destroyed  by  its  partial 
compression;  and  it  must  be  admitted  that  the 
centre  of  gravity  of  the  part  compressed,  accord- 
ing to  the  construction  above  described,  does  ap- 
proach the  center  of  motion  nearer  than  the  center 
of  gravity  of  the  part  not  compressed.  The  whole 
weight  of  the  sponge  is,  however,  so  inconsider- 
able, that  this  difference  would  scarcely  produce 
any  sensible  effect;  and  if  it  did,  a  very  slight 


194  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

alteration  in  the  construction,  by  which  the 
sponge  should  be  compressed  as  much  outwards 
as  inwards,  would  retain  the  center  of  gravity  of 
the  compressed  part  at  the  same  distance  from 
the  center  of  motion  as  the  center  of  gravity  of 
the  part  not  compressed. 


CHAPTER  VII 
Liquid  Air  as  a  Means  of  Perpetual  Motion 

A  few  years  ago  air  was  liquefied.  This  was 
accomplished  by  a  very  high  compression  accom- 
panied by  a  very  low  temperature. 

It  is  manifest  that  when  liquid  air  is  removed 
from  the  extremely  low  temperature  necessary 
for  its  liquefaction,  and  introduced  into  ordinary 
atmospheric  temperatures,  it  will  exert  a  most 
tremendous  expansive  force  which  can  be  utilized 
for  driving  machinery  and  thereby  producing 
heat  or  electricity,  or  for  any  other  purpose  for 
which  force  is  required.  But,  by  the  law  of  Con- 
servation of  Energy,  the  liquefied  air  by  expan- 
sion can  yield  no  more  energy  than  was  required 
to  extract  the  heat  from  the  air  and  compress  it 
into  the  liquid  state. 

One  enthusiastic  individual  who  had  worked 
in  a  plant  for  liquefying  air  announced  through- 
out the  United  States  of  America,  and  perhaps 
throughout  the  civilized  world,  that  he  had  a 
device  by  which  the  expansive  force  of  three 
pounds  of  liquid  air  could  be  made  to  liquefy  ten 
pounds,  and  that  seven  of  the  ten  could  be  utilized 
for  driving  machinery,  or  for  any  other  purpose 
for  which  force  is  required,  the  remaining  three 
being  utilized  in  the  production  of  another  ten 


196  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

pounds  of  liquid  air,  and  so  on  ad  infinitum.  He 
boldly  announced  that  thereby  he  had  discovered 
an  inexhaustible  supply  of  energy  at  a  nominal 
cost,  whereby  we  could  all  be  warmed  and  have 
our  machinery  of  all  kinds  driven  without  the 
expense  of  gas,  coal,  fuel  of  any  kind,  wind, 
waves,  tides  or  streams.  This  enthusiastic  indi- 
vidual produced  considerable  excitement  for  a 
time,  and  then  the  public  ceased  to  hear  about 
either  him  or  his  device.  He  dropped  out  of  sight 
and  his  name  sank  into  oblivion.  His  claims  were 
absurd,  and  the  absurdity  is  readily  apparent  to 
anyone  versed  in  thermodynamics  or  familiar 
with  the  principles  of  Conservation  of  Energy. 
There  was  little  excuse  for  his  ever  having 
made  such  pretentions  or  for  his  pretentions  ever 
to  have  been  seriously  listened  to  by  any  one ;  for 
the  principle  of  Conservation  of  Energy  had 
years  before  been  fully  established  and  heralded 
throughout  the  world. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Radium  and  Radio-Active  Substances  Consid- 
ered as  a  Conceived  Source  of 
Perpetual  Motion 

A  few  years  ago  when  the  remarkable  prop- 
erties of  radium  were  discovered  it  was  thought 
by  many  that  here  at  last  was  the  long  sought 
solution  of  the  problem  of  Perpetual  Motion. 
Radium  seemed  to  have  the  power  of  maintain- 
ing its  own  temperature  permanently  above  that 
of  surrounding  bodies.  Many  versecl  in  the  sci- 
ence of  thermodynamics  (heat  power)  shook  their 
heads  in  doubt.  If,  indeed,  it  were  really  true 
that  the  substance,  radium,  or  any  other  substance 
had  the  quality  of  remaining  permanently  warmer 
than  surrounding  bodies  without  having  heat  sup- 
plied to  it,  then,  indeed,  there  was  an  inexhaust- 
ible supply  of  heat,  and  consequently  power. 

Hon.  R.  J.  Strutt  (Lord  Rayleigh),  devised 
a  radium  clock  to  run  on  this  principle,  consisting 
of  a  vacuum  vessel  in  which  was  suspended  a 
radio-active  substance  contained  in  a  tube.  At 
the  lower  end  of  the  tube  are  two  gold  leaves  as 
in  an  electroscope.  Platinum  wires  extended 
through  the  glass  and  touched  the  gold  leaves. 
The  other  end  of  the  platinum  wires  are  extended 
to  connect  with  the  earth.  The  radio-active  sub- 


198  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

stance  electrifies  the  gold  leaves  and  causes  them 
to  be  extended,  and  upon  being  extended  they 
come  in  contact  with  the  platinum  wires  and  their 
charge  of  electricity  is  lost,  being  conducted 
through  the  wires  and  dispersed  in  the  earth,  and 
the  leaves  losing  their  charge  fall  by  the  force  of 
gravity  from  the  wires  back  to  their  position  near 
the  tube  containing  the  radio-active  substance  to 
be  again  charged,  to  again  move  to  and  touch  the 
platinum  wires,  and  again  lose  their  charge ;  this 
process  to  go  on  indefinitely. 

Here,  indeed,  was  Perpetual  Motion,  except 
for  the  fact  that  further  and  more  refined  experi- 
ments and  investigations  demonstrated  that 
radio-active  substances  are  not  permanently 
radio-active,  but  gradually,  though  very  slowly, 
lose  their  radio-activity  just  as  a  fire  will  finally 
burn  out,  no  matter  how  slowly  it  burns,  or  just 
as  an  electric  battery  will  finally  lose  its  charge 
and  become  exhausted. 

This  loss,  however,  of  radio-active  energy  in 
radio-active  substances  is  so  slow  that  it  is  said 
the  Strutt  clock  will  run  for  over  one  thousand 
years.  But  the  fact  that  it  will  not  run  perma- 
nently, and  that  the  motion  is  the  result  of  energy 
supplied  by  the  radio-active  substance,  and  is  not 
supplied  by  the  mechanism  itself,  deprives  it  of 
any  right  to  be  called  a  solution  of  the  problem 
of  self -motive  power. 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  199 

It  should  be  noted  that  Hon.  R.  J.  Strutt 
(Lord  Rayleigh)  of  England,  who  devised  the 
radium  clock,  above  mentioned,  is  not  to  be 
classed  with  the  ordinary  Perpetual  Motion  en- 
thusiast. He  was,  and  is,  in  fact,  a  man  of  very 
great  scientific  ability  and  attainments,  and  has 
to  his  credit  many  actual  and  splendid  achieve- 
ments demonstrating  him  to  be  a  genius  of  the 
rarest  and  most  exalted  type.  His  radium  clock 
is  founded  on  correct  principles,  and  surely  a  clock 
that  will  run  one  thousand  years  without  having 
power  supplied  from  an  outside  source  is  worth 
while.  It  should  be  here  also  mentioned  that  the 
force  derived  from  radio  activity  in  the  manner 
it  is  applied  in  the  Strutt  clock  is  very  slight,  and 
the  instrument  necessarily  extremely  delicate. 


CHAPTER  IX 

Perpetual  Motion  Devices  Attempting  Its  At- 
tainment by  a  Misconception  of  the  Re- 
lation of  Momentum  and  Energy 

The  author,  within  twenty  years  last  past, 
has  had  his  attention  called  by  two  different  per- 
sons, each  ignorant  of  the  efforts  of  the  other, 
who  were  seeking  to  obtain  Perpetual  Motion  by 
utilizing  certain  physical  facts  concerning  Mo- 
mentum and  Energy.  These  facts  and  the  prin- 
ciples out  of  which  they  grow  are  familiar  to  all 
who  understand  thoroughly,  even  the  rudiments 
of  physics;  but  to  persons  who  are  inclined  to 
mechanics,  but  who  have  never  had  the  advan- 
tages of  the  presentation  of  clear  principles,  they 
are  confusing,  and  it  is  surprising  that  they  have 
not  become  more  fertile  fields  for  Perpetual  Mo- 
tion workers.  However,  we  are  unable  to  find 
any  written  or  printed  account  or  description  of 
a  plan  or  device  of  that  kind,  and  our  information 
is  confined  to  instances  that  have  been  brought 
to  our  personal  observation,  and  concerning 
which  the  advice  and  counsel  of  the  author  was 
sought. 

The  worker  in  each  case  was  a  man  of  more 
than  ordinary  natural  intelligence,  and  with  a 
bent  for  mechanical  pursuits  and  reflection.  Each 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  201 

had  taken  a  course  in  what  is  conventionally 
called  High  School  Physics. 

The  idea  in  each  case  was  so  novel  and  inter- 
esting that  we  deem  the  presentation  worth  while. 
They  were  so  nearly  alike  that  instead  of  attempt- 
ing to  narrate  what  they  said,  we  will  endeavor 
in  our  own  way  to  present  the  idea,  and  then  to 
give  our  explanation,  showing  wherein  lay  their 
error. 

The  following  definitions  and  laws  of 
physics  may  be  regarded  as  established : 

Momentum 

Momentum  is  the  quantity  of  motion  of  a 
moving  body,  and  is  the  velocity  multiplied  by  the 
weight. 

Thus,  a  body  weighing  two  pounds,  moving 
at  four  feet  per  second,  may  be  represented  as 
having  a  momentum  of  eight. 

A  body  weighing  two  pounds  moving  at  the 
rate  of  six  feet  per  second  may  be  said  to  have  a 
momentum  of  twelve. 

A  body  weighing  ten  pounds  moving  at  the 
rate  of  ten  feet  per  second  will  have  a  momentum 
of  one  hundred — and  so  on. 

Now,  a  step  further.  A  body  in  motion 
striking  another  body  free  to  move  will  lose  part 
of  its  motion,  and  will  impart  some  of  its  motion 
Jo  the  body  moved  against.  The  aggregate  mo- 


202  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

mentum  after  the  striking  is  the  same  as  before — 
that  is  to  say — if  a  body  weighing  ten  pounds 
have  a  velocity  of  twenty  feet  per  second,  its 
momentum  we  will  call  two  hundred.  Now,  if 
in  moving  it  strike  another  body  either  larger  or 
smaller  its  motion  will  be  somewhat  retarded,  and 
the  body  struck  will  possess  some  motion. 

Multiply  the  weight  of  each  by  its  motion 
after  the  striking,  and  it  will  be  found  that  the 
sum  of  the  products  is  two  hundred.  This  may 
be  illustrated  by  swinging  balls  like  pendulums 
to  cords  of  equal  length  from  a  beam,  having  the 
arrangement  such  that  balls  of  different  materials 
and  sizes  can  be  substituted  at. liberty.  If  a  body 
be  drawn  back  parallel  to  the  beam,  and  released 
so  as  to  swing  against  another  swinging  body, 
both  will  have  motion.  This  motion  will,  in  some 
cases  be  a  rebounding  motion,  as  in  the  case  of  a 
small  elastic  body  swinging  against  and  striking 
a  larger  elastic  body,  but  in  all  cases  the  sum  total 
of  the  momentum  after  the  impingement  is  the 
same  as  before. 

The  following  statement  of  the  law  then,  is 
deducible : 

The  Momentum  of  one  body  in  motion  may 
be  made  to  impart  momentum  to  another  body, 
the  amount  of  momentum  lost  by  the  former  be- 
ing exactly  equal  to  that  thus  acquired  by  the 
latter. 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  -»o<j 

Before  leaving  these  remarks  on  momentum 
the  reader  should  observe  carefully  what  momen- 
tum is  and  bear  in  mind  it  is  the  quantity  of  mo- 
tion possessed  by  a  moving  body,  and  has  to  do 
only  with  mass  and  velocity — and  takes  no  ac- 
count of  distance  passed  through. 

Energy 

Energy  is  the  capacity  to  do  work,  and  the 
energy  of  a  moving  body  is  the  amount  of  work 
it  will  do,  i.  e.,  the  distance  it  will  move  against  a 
resistance  by  virtue  of  its  tendency  to  move,  be- 
fore being  brought  to  a  state  of  rest. 

Now  note,  and  note  carefully,  that  the 
amount  of  energy  is  proportional  to  the  mass,  and 
to  the  square  of  the  velocity. 

Note  this  carefully:  Any  body  in  motion 
has  both  momentum  and  energy.  Its  momentum 
is  proportional  to  its  velocity;  its  energy  to  the 
square  of  its  velocity.  If  the  velocity  be  doubled, 
the  momentum  will  be  doubled,  but  its  energy 
quadrupled.  If  the  velocity  be  trebled,  its  mo- 
mentum will  be  trebled,  but  its  energy  increased 
nine-fold. 

It  is  important  that  the  student  get  clearly 
what  is  meant  by  saying  that  Energy  is  the 
capacity  to  do  zvork,  and  is  proportional  to  the 
square  of  the  velocity. 

The  capacity  to  do  work  means  the  capacity 


204  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

to  move  against  resistance,  i.  e.,  to  overcome  re- 
sistance. The  word  "work"  being  used  in  a  purely 
mechanical  sense  and  in  that  sense  it  is  used 
whether  the  result  accomplished  is  destructive  or 
beneficial. 

A  revolving  fly  wheel  will  run  machinery  for 
some  time  after  the  application  of  force  has 
ceased.  This  is  doing  work,  and  represents  en- 
ergy. 

A  bullet  fired  from  a  gun  will  accomplish 
destruction  before  having  its  motion  arrested. 
This  is  work — energy. 

If  a  boy  throw  a  ball  into  a  snow  bank,  its 
motion  will  sink  it  into  the  snow,  but  not  far,  the 
resistance  of  the  snow  will  soon  bring  the  ball  to 
rest.  The  ball  overcomes  resistance  in  passing 
through  the  snow  until  it  is  brought  to  rest,  and 
thus  it  does  the  work  of  forcing  itself  through 
the  snow,  and  possesses  the  energy  necessary  to 
do  that  work. 

The  overcoming  of  the  resistance  of  the  air 
by  a  moving  body  is  work.  A  steamboat  will 
move  for  some  time  in  water  after  the  steam  has 
been  turned  off.  The  overcoming  of  the  resist- 
ance of  the  water  is  work,  and  by  virtue  of  the 
motion  of  the  boat  when  the  steam  was  turned  off 
it  possessed  the  energy  to  do  the  work  of  forcing 
itself  for  some  time  through  the  resistance  of  the 
water. 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  205 

The  Perpetual  Motion  worker  in  each  case 
had  reasoned  himself  into  this  conclusion :  That 
the  same  energy  will  impart  the  same  acceleration 
of  velocity,  regardless  of  the  velocity  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  application  of  energy.  That  the 
same  amount  of  energy  or  work  necessary  to  im- 
part to  a  body  a  velocity  of  ten  feet  per  second 
will  increase  that  velocity  to  twenty  feet  per 
second,  or  from  twenty  feet  per  second  to  thirty 
feet  per  second.  In  other  words,  that  the  same 
amount  of  energy,  and  only  the  same  amount  of 
energy  is  required  for  a  given  increase  in  velocity 
without  regard  to  the  initial  velocity.  This  ap- 
pears plausible,  and  almost  self-evident.  We  be- 
lieve the  great  majority  of  people,  other  than 
mechanical  engineers  would,  upon  presentation  of 
the  theory  accept  it  as  axiomatic,  and  as  a  matter 
of  course.  The  fallacy  becomes  manifest  only 
from  a  critical  and  technical  examination  of  the 
Laws  of  Momentum  and  Energy. 

The  Perpetual  Motion  worker  had  learned 
from  his  text-books  that  if  the  velocity  be  doubled, 
the  energy  would  be  multiplied  by  four.  His  idea 
was  to  so  arrange  his  mechanism  that  he  would 
apply  the  amount  of  energy  to  move  a  fly  wheel 
free  to  revolve,  from  a  position  of  rest  to  a  revolv- 
ing velocity  of  ten  revolutions  per  second.  Then 
apply  again  the  same  amount  of  energy,  and  ac- 
celerate that  velocity  from  ten  revolutions  per 


206  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

second  to  twenty  revolutions  per  second.  Thus, 
the  energy  at  the  end  of  the  second  second  would 
be  four  times  what  it  ^as^t^Agjendj^b^c  first 
second.  But  to  make  it  so,  only  double  the  amount 
of  energy  had  been  applied  that  had  been  ex- 
pended at  the  end  of  the  first  second.  Thus/he 
reasoned,  his  machine  was  by  virtue .ofjts_§truc- 
ture,  accumulating  energy,  and  this^energyicould 
be  used  one-half  to  continue ^the^motion  of  his 
machine,  and  the  other  half  to  run  other  ma- 
chinery, or  for  any  other  purpose  for  .which 
energy  might  be  desired. 

Wherein  lies  the  fallacy  of  this  supposition  ? 

We  will  now  endeavor  to  explain.  And  for 
the  young  student  to  get  the  explanation  fuftyTTt 
will  be  necessary  for  him  to  pay  the  closest  atten- 
tion to  what  we  here  state. 

A  force,  for  instance  the  pressure  of  ..the 
finger  or  the  hand,  equal  to  one  pound  against  a 
body  free  to  move,  will,  we  will  say,  move  that 
body  in  one  second  of  time  through  a  space  of 
ten  feet,  and  at  the  end  of  that  second  the  body 
will  have  a  velocity  of  twenty  feet.  It  is  manifest 
that  at  the  end  of  the  second  the  velocity  will  be 
twenty  feet  per  second  for  its  initial  velocity  is 
zero,  and  its  average  velocity  ten  feet  per  second, 
the  acceleration  being,  of  course,  presumed  uni- 
form. 

Now,  it  is  not  true  as  the  Perpetual  Motion 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  207 

worker  had  assumed  that  the  same  energy — i.  e., 
the  same  work  that  is  required  to  increase  the 
velocity  from  zero  to  ten  feet  per  second  will  in- 
crease the  velocity  from  ten  feet  per  second  to 
twenty  feet  per  second,  and  in  that  assumption  lay 
the  fallacy  of  our  friends  who  were  thus  seeking 
Perpetual  Motion. 

The  greater  the  velocity,  the  more  energy  is 
required  to  impart  a  given  acceleration.  To  in- 
crease the  velocity  from  ten  feet  per  second  to 
twenty  feet  per  second,  the  applied  force  must 
continue  through  one  second  of  time,  and  more 
energy  is  required  to  follow  a  rapidly  moving 
body,  and  continue  to  apply  to  it  a  given  force  for 
one  second  than  would  be  required  to  follow  and 
maintain  the  application  of  the  same  force  to  a 
body  moving  more  slowly — the  distance  traveled 
is  greater  in  one  case  than  in  the  other. 

It  must  be  plain  that  if  the  moving  body  have 
a  velocity  at  the  end  of  the  first  second  of  twenty 
feet  per  second,  it  will,  at  the  end  of  the  second 
second,  with  the  same  pressure  (force)  continued 
against  the  same  resistance,  have  a  velocity  of - 
forty  feet  per  second,  and  at  the  end  of  three  sec- 
onds have  a  velocity  of  sixty  feet,  and  at  the 
end  of  four  seconds  a  velocity  of  eighty  feet,  and 
so  on. 

Now,  at  the  beginning  of  the  second  second  it 
had  a  velocity  of  twenty  feet,  and  at  the  end  of 


208  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

that  second  a  velocity  of  forty  feet.  It  therefore, 
traveled  through  that  second  with  an  average  ve- 
locity of  thirty  feet  and,  of  course,  during  the  sec- 
ond second  traveled  exactly  thirty  feet.  It  traveled 
ten  feet  the  first  second,  and  if  it  traveled  thirty 
feet  the  second,  then  in  the  two  seconds  it  traveled 
forty  feet — four  times  as  far  as  it  traveled  the 
first  second.  At  the  beginning  of  the  third  second 
it  had  a  velocity  of  forty  feet,  and  at  the  end  of  the 
third  second  a  velocity  of  sixty  feet.  The  average 
velocity  then  for  the  third  second  would  be  one- 
half  the  sum  of  forty  feet  and  plus  sixty  feet — 
that  is  to  say,  it  would  be  fifty  feet,  and  that 
would  be  the  distance  traveled  during  the  third 
second.  The  first  second  it  traveled  ten  feet,  the 
second  second  thirty  feet,  and  the  third  second 
fifty  feet,  making  a  total  in  three  seconds  of 
ninety  feet — that  is  to  say,  in  three  seconds  it 
traveled  nine  times  as  far  as  in  one  second. 

It  will  be  noticed  from  the  above  that  the 
velocity  is  proportional  to  the  number  of  seconds, 
but  that  the  distance  traveled  is  proportional  to 
the  square  of  the  number  of  seconds,  and  also 
proportional  to  the  square  of  the  velocity. 

Momentum  is  mass  multiplied  by  velocity; 
energy  is  measured  by  the  distance  through  which 
a  body  will  move  against  a  given  resistance. 

Should  you  prop  up  one  wheel  of  a  carriage 
and  revolve  the  wheel,  then  with  the  pressure  of 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  209 

the  finger  or  the  thumb  on  the  hub  as  a  brake, 
stop  it,  it  will  be  found  that  (omitting  the  effect  of 
atmospheric  resistance),  the  wheel  will  make  four 
times  as  many  revolutions  before  stopping  with 
a  doubled  velocity;  nine  times  as  many  with  a 
trebled  velocity. 

Falling  bodies  afford  the  most  perfect  illus- 
tration of  the  principle  of  Momentum  and  En- 
ergy, and  are  so  commonly  used  to  illustrate  those 
principles  that  many  students  get  the  idea  that 
the  application  of  those  principles  is  confined  to 
falling  bodies,  and  do  not  realize  that  they  extend 
generally  through  the  field  of  mechanics. 

A  falling  body  is,  of  course,  acted  upon  by 
gravity  with  uniform  force  equal  to  the  weight 
of  the  falling  body,  and  that  force  continues  to 
follow  the  falling  body  and  to  be  applied  uni- 
formly and  equally,  however  slowly,  or  rapidly 
the  body  may  be  falling.  And,  omitting  atmos- 
pheric resistance,  the  body  is  absolutely  free  to 
move  except  for  its  natural  tendency  to  remain  at 
rest,  or  at  uniform  velocity.  It  is  well  known 
that  a  body  falls  (almost  exactly)  sixteen  feet  in 
one  second,  and  at  the  end  of  one  second  has  a 
velocity  of  thirty-two.  During  the  second  second 
it  falls  through  a  distance  of  forty-eight  feet,  and 
during  the  third  second  a  distance  of  eighty  feet. 
In  two  seconds  it  falls  sixty-four  feet,  and  in  three 
seconds  one  hundred  twenty-eight  feet,  and  so  on. 


210  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

Thus,  it  will  be  observed  that  the  velocity  is  pro- 
portional to  the  time  during  which  it  has  fallen, 
but  that  the  distance  fallen  in  any  number  of 
seconds  is  proportional  to  the  square  of  the  time. 
This,  indeed,  is  a  property  of  numbers,  and 
results  from  mathematical  law.  If  the  reader 
will  form  a  series  of  numbers,  setting  down  any 
number  for  the  first  term  of  the  series,  adding  to 
it  its  double  for  the  second  term,  and  adding  to 
the  second  term  double  the  first  term  for  the  third, 
and  adding  double  the  first  term  to  the  third  term 
for  the  fourth,  and  so  on — in  other  words,  form 
any  increasing  arithmetical  series  with  double  the 
first  term  for  the  common  difference,  he  will  dis- 
cover that  the  sum  of  all  the  terms  is  equal  to  the 
first  term  multiplied  by  the  square  of  the  number 
of  terms.  Thus : 

1st  Term        2nd  Term        3rd  Term        4th  Term        oth  Term 

5  15  25  35  45 

In  the  above  series  the  sum  of  the  first  two 
terms  is  20,  which  is  4  times  the  first  term.  The 
sum  of  the  first  three  terms,  i.  e.,  5  +  15  +  25  = 
45  —  nine  times  the  first  term.  The  sum  of  the 
first  four  terms,  i.  e.,  5  +  15  +  25  +  35  =  80, 
sixteen  times  the  first  term,  and  so  on. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  Momentum  and 
Energy  are  entirely  different,  although  co-re- 
lated; that  momentum  relates  to  velocity,  which 
includes  the  element  of  time,  whereas  energy  re- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  211 

lates  to  the  amount  of  work  done,  and  may  be 
represented  by  a  force  operating  against  a  cer- 
tain resistance,  through  a  certain  distance,  en- 
tirely irrespective  of  time.  The  energy  is  the 
same  with  the  same  force  operating  against  the 
same  resistance,  through  the  same  distance 
whether  the  time  consumed  be  great  or  small.  It 
takes  as  much  energy  in  the  aggregate  to  wind  up 
a  bucket  from  the  bottom  of  the  well  if  done 
slowly  as  if  done  quickly. 

It  would  seem  hardly  necessary  to  do  so,  and 
yet  it  is  worth  while  remarking  that  the  amount 
of  energy  necessary  to  impart  a  given  motion  is 
exactly  the  amount  of  Energy  that  will  be  re- 
quired to  arrest  that  motion,  and  represents  the 
amount  of  Energy  possessed  by  the  moving  body 
by  virtue  of  its  motion.  Work  done,  i.  e.,  Energy 
applied  in  giving  motion  is  there  in  that  motion, 
ready  to  be  returned  in  exactly  an  equal  quantity 
— no  more — no  less. 

In  all  the  considerations  in  this  chapter  no 
notice  is  taken  of  loss  by  friction  or  atmospheric 
resistance.  We  are  considering  pure  mechanics 
and  the  laws  governing  them  only.  In  actual 
mechanical  devices  it  is  always  necessary  to  make 
allowance  for  atmospheric,  frictional  and  other 
unavoidable  resistances. 


CHAPTER  X 

The  Alleged  Inventions  of  Edward  Sommerset, 
Sixth  Earl  and  Second  Marquis  of  Wor- 
cester, and  of  Jean  Ernest  Eli-Bessler 
(Councillor)  Orffyreus 

More  interest  has  been  taken,  and  more  has 
been  said  and  written  concerning  the  claimed  in- 
ventions of  the  men  forming  the  subject  of  this 
chapter  than  of  all  other  Perpetual  Motion  de- 
vices known  to  history.  The  reason  is  not  diffi- 
cult to  explain.  It  was  the  rank  and  eminence  of 
the  inventors  and  of  others  whom  they  induced 
to  take  an  interest  in  their  inventions,  and  to 
proclaim  them  to  the  world.  Intrinsically,  neither 
their  claims  nor  their  devices  are  entitled  to  any 
more  notice  than  are  those  of  the  humblest 
mechanic  that  ever  labored  to  attain  Perpetual 
Motion.  However,  so  much  has  been  said  and 
written  concerning  them  that  they  have  an  his- 
torical value  and  interest.  Then,  too,  the  interest 
taken  in  their  inventions  brought  forth  some 
splendid  discussions  which  necessarily  involve  in 
a  general  way,  at  least,  the  entire  question  of 
Self-Motive  Power.  The  historical  interest  at- 
taching to  their  inventions  and  the  discussions 
concerning  them,  entitles  them  to  more  than  a 
passing  notice  in  this  book. 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  213 

They  were  not  co-laborers;  they  were  not 
even  compatriots,  nor  contemporaries.  Worces- 
ter was  an  Englishman  and  Orffyreus  a  French- 
man, though  most  of  his  labors  were  in  what  is 
now  Germany.  The  former  died  thirteen  years 
before  the  latter  was  born. 

Edward  Sommerset,  of  England,  Sixth  Earl 
and  Second  Marquis  of  Worcester,  was  born  in 
the  year  1601,  and  died  in  1667.  He  was  famous 
not  only  for  his  noble  birth  and  family  rank,  but 
for  personal  attainments.  He  was  the  author  of 
a  work  entitled  "Century  of  Names  and  Scant- 
lings of  Such  Inventions  as  at  Present  I  Can  Call 
to  Mind  Have  Tried  and  Perfected"  (1663), 
which  has  often  been  reprinted,  and  is  usually 
referred  to  simply  as  "Century  Inventions."  He 
was  very  prominent  in  public  life;  was  greatly 
interested  in  mechanical  experiments,  and  made 
valuable  suggestions,  inventions  and  improve- 
ments in  connection  with  the  use  of  steam  as  a 
motive  power. 

Henry  Dircks,  who  is  so  frequently  men- 
tioned in  this  book,  wrote  a  book  which  was  pub- 
lished in  1865,  entitled  "Life,  Times  and  Scientific 
Labors  of  the  Second  Marquis  of  Worcester." 
The  Marquis  appears  to  have  been  all  his  life 
greatly  interested  in  science,  mechanics  and 
mathematical  contrivances.  His  first  wife  died 
in  1635,  and  it  seems  probable  that  thenceforth 


214  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

he  became  and  remained  more  than  ever  devoted 
to  mechanics,  and  sometime  after  that  period  an- 
nounced a  successful  Perpetual  Motion  machine, 
the  gist  of  all  known  information  concerning 
which  appears  from  the  articles  and  discussions 
hereinafter  set  forth  in  this  chapter. 

Jean-Ernest  Eli-Bessler  (Councillor)  Orffy- 
reus  was  born  in  1680,  near  Zittan,  Alsace, 
France.  He  was  a  man  of  great  ability  and  at- 
tained an  eminent  place  in  public  life.  The  title 
"Councillor,"  he  acquired  by  having  been  selected 
Councillor  to  the  Prince  of  Hesse  Castle.  The 
best  information  concerning  him  indicates  that 
he  was  of  very  erratic  temperament,  given  to  fits 
of  melancholy  and  extreme  anger.  In  early  life 
he  was  a  student  of  theology  and  medicine,  but  his 
penchant  was  really  for  mechanics.  He  claimed 
that  in  his  search  for  whatever  might  prove  curi- 
ous and  valuable  he  had  discovered  Perpetual 
Motion,  and  that  between  the  years  1712  and 
1719  he  had  made  two  successfully  working 
machines  on  his  system.  The  following  discus- 
sions disclose  all  that  is  known  of  the  claimed 
inventions  of  these  two  distinguished  Perpetual 
Motion  workers. 

The  alleged  inventions  of  the  Marquis  of 
Worcester  is  stated  by  him  in  the  56th  article  of 
his  book  entitled  "Century  of  Names  and  Scant- 
lings of  Such  Inventions  as  at  Present  I  Can  Call 
to  Mind  to  Have  Tried  and  Perfected/'  and  trans- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  215 

lated  from  the  ancient  English  style  in  which  his 
book  is  written  into  modern  style  of  English, 
reads  as  follows : 

The  inventor  offers  the  accompanying 
sketch,  with  description  of  an  Hydraulic  Mover, 
for  communicating  power  to  machinery,  and  re- 
cently invented  by  him: — 

"To  provide  and  make  that  all  the  weights  of 
the  descending  side  of  a  wheel,  shall  be  per- 
petually farther  from  the  center,  than  those  of 
the  mounting  side,  and  yet  equal  in  number  and 
heft  to  the  one  side  as  the  other.  A  most  incred- 
ible thing,  if  not  seen;  but  tried  before  the  late 
King  (of  blessed  memory)  in  the  Tower  by  my 
directions,  two  extraordinary  ambassadors  ac- 
companying his  Majesty,  and  the  Duke  of  Rich- 
mond, and  Duke  of  Hamilton,  with  most  of  the 
Court  attending  him.  The  wheel  was  fourteen 
foot  over,  and  had  forty  weights  of  fifty  pounds 
apiece.  Sir  William  Balfore,  then  Lieutenant  of 
the  Tower,  can  justify  it,  with  several  others. 
They  all  saw,  that  no  sooner  these  great  weights 
passed  the  diameter  line  of  the  lower  side,  but  they 
hung  a  foot  farther  from  the  center;  nor  no 
sooner  passed  the  diameter  line  of  the  upper  side, 
but  they  hung  a  foot  nearer.  Be  pleased  to  judge 
of  the  consequence." 

In  October  of  1719,  Orffyreus  published  a 
small  book,  or  pamphlet,  both  in  German  and 
Latin,  entitled  "Perpetual  Motion  Triumphant, 
by  Orffyreus."  The  book  commences : 

It  is  a  notorious  fact  that  Perpetual  Motion 


816  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

has  not  only  been  sought  after  by  ingenious 
mathematicians  and  artists  with  more  or  less  ex- 
pense, but  many  have  arisen  here  and  there  pre- 
tending that  they  have  made  the  discovery. 
Nevertheless,  it  appears  that  to  carry  out  this 
most  subtle  mechanical  idea,  namely,  to  make  a 
dead  material  not  only  move  itself,  but  lift 
weights  and  perform  work,  even  the  most  pro- 
found mathematicians  and  the  most  learned 
people  have  continually  fallen  into  error.  It  is 
no  less  notorious  that  those  who  have  so  sought, 
not  only  refuse  their  consent,  but  have  set  their 
seal  on  the  discovery  as  an  unsolvable  problem. 

On  a  subsequent  page  he  proceeds  thus : 

When  I,  at  last,  an  unworthy  man,  was  made 
an  instrument  in  God's  hands  to  solve  this  long- 
looked- for  and  valuable  secret,  and  to  give  a  rep- 
resentation, proposition  and  instruction  on  this 
rare  invention ;  also  to  publish  and  propound  it  to 
all  the  world,  no  longer  do  I  doubt,  nay  I  pre- 
sume, that  as  the  discoverer  I  possess  it,  after 
many  years  of  scrupulous  doubts,  much  calumny 
and  exasperation  from  all  my  enemies. 

He  speaks  of  his  opponents  under  four  divi- 
sions :  First,  the  scientific  world ;  second,  persons 
in  high  authority ;  third,  the  public  in  general ;  and 
fourth,  the  press; — observing — 

Now  my  wish  was  to  convince  the  world  that 
this  illiberal,  rude  and  inhuman  treatment  was 
false,  yet  God's  providence  has  brought  to  my 
help,  protection  and  succour  the  mighty  Prince 
Lord  Charles,  Landgrave  of  Hesse. 

On  a  subsequent  page  he  indulges  in  the  f  ol- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  217 

lowing  sycophantic  adulation  of  the  Prince  of 
Hesse  Castle,  and  suggestion  of  the  description 
of  his  claimed  device : 

It  has  not  only  pleased  this  mighty  Prince  to 
protect  me  against  my  numerous  enemies,  but  also 
to  give  me  house-room  in  his  princely  Castle  of 
Weissenstein,  near  Cassel ;  to  name  me  one  of  his 
most  honored  servants,  and  restore  me  in  a  meas- 
ure all  the  honor  and  means  that  I  had  lost  in  my 
native  country;  wishing  no  doubt  to  give  to 
Hessin  Cassel  the  high  honor  which  belonged  to 
Saxony  by  right.  In  gratitude  for  all  these  gra- 
cious acts,  I  consented  to  give  another  example  of 
my  Perpetuum  Mobile  machine.  I  put  all  in 
fresh  order,  and  began  work  in  all  possible  haste, 
doing  everything  in  the  manner  of  those  I  had 
already  made  and  destroyed,  with  only  a  few 
changes  in  the  dimensions  of  the  so-named  turn- 
ing-wheel. For  as  a  grindstone  may  be  called  a 
wheel,  so  may  the  principal  part  of  my  machine  be 
named.  The  outward  part  of  this  wheel  is  drawn 
over  or  covered  with  waxed  linen  in  the  form  of 
a  drum.  This  cylindrical  basis  was  12  Rhenish 
feet  in  diameter,  the  thickness  from  15  to  18 
inches,  the  middle  axle  6  feet  long  and  8  inches 
in  thickness.  It  is  supported  in  its  movement  on 
two  pointed  steel  balance-pegs,  each  1  inch  thick; 
and  the  wheel  is  vertically  suspended.  The 
movement  is  modified  by  two  pendulums,  as 
shown  in  the  engraving  at  the  end  of  this  book. 
The  inward  structure  of  the  wheel  is  of  a  nature 
according  to  the  laws  of  mechanical  perpetual 
motion,  so  arranged  that  by  disposed  weights  once 


218  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

in  rotation  they  gain  force  from  their  own  swing- 
ing, and  must  continue  their  movement  as  long  as 
their  structure  does  not  lose  its  position  and  ar- 
rangement. Unlike  all  other  automata,  such  as 
clocks  or  springs  or  other  hanging  weights  which 
require  winding  up  or  whose  duration  depends  on 
the  chain  which  attaches  them,  on  the  contrary, 
these  weights  are  the  essential  parts  and  consti- 
tute perpetuum  mobile  itself;  as  from  them  is 
received  the  universal  movement  which  they  must 
exercise  so  long  as  they  remain  out  of  the  center 
of  gravity ;  and  when  they  come  to  be  placed  to- 
gether, and  so  arranged  one  against  another  that 
they  can  never  obtain  equilibrium,  or  the  punctum 
quietus  which  they  unceasingly  seek  in  their  won- 
derous  speedy  flight,  one  or  other  of  them  must 
apply  its  weight  vertically  to  the  axis,  which  in 
its  turn  will  also  move. 

The  author  and  inventor  then  suggests  the 
following  uses  of  his  machine :  "raising  weights, 
raising  stampers,  water,"  etc.  He  criticises  all 
critics  of  his  scheme  and  denounces  them  as  cun- 
ning rogues,  and  fools  who  are  contemptibly  en- 
deavoring to  overthrow  an  incontestable  fact. 
He  makes  a  quadrupled  dedication  of  his  device : 

1.  To  God, 

2.  To  the  Public  in  General, 

3.  To  Men  of  Learning, 

4.  To  Himself  as  Discoverer, 

and  he  very  modestly  suggests  a  method  by  which 
he  could  be  approached  on  the  subject  of  selling 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


219 


320  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

the  secret  of  his  machine  for  one  hundred  thou- 
sand rix-thalers,  and  points  out  the  great  im- 
portance to  the  public  of  such  an  acquisition.  The 
book  contains  a  cut  of  his  device  with  the  follow- 
ing very  brief  explanation : 

Number  1  shows  the  entire  size  of  the  wheel ; 
2,  a  cord  wound  round  the  principal  axle ;  3,  the 
wheel  or  pulley  to  guide  the  cord;  4,  the  cord 
passed  through  a  window  and  over  5,  another  pul- 
ley; 6,  the  box  of  stones  raised  or  lowered;  7,  the 
lock  to  prevent  motion;  8,  the  pendulum  with 
three  weights;  9,  a  winch-handle  acting  on  the 
pendulum;  and  10,  shows  above  and  below  trans- 
parent, so  that  the  machine  stands  clear  and  can 
be  moved  about. 

In  1720  the  following  article  was  contributed 
to  and  published  in  the  "Gentleman's  Magazine," 
concerning  the  Orffyrean  Wheel : 

MR.  URBAN  :  Being  an  admirer  of  improve- 
ments in  mechanics  and  desirous  of  seeing  the 
perpetual  motion  discovered,  I  was  much  pleased 
on  reading,  some  time  ago,  an  account  of  the  auto- 
maton constructed  by  Orffyreus  in  two  letters, 
one  from  Professor  's  Gravesande  to  Sir  Isaac 
Newton,  the  other  from  Baron  Fischer  to  Dr. 
Desaguliers,  with  the  testimonial  of  the  Land- 
grave of  Hesse-Cassel  (who  had  seen  the  inside 
of  it  )in  favor  of  its  construction.  To  which  are 
added  some  remarks  by  William  Kenrick,  the 
writer  of  the  pamphlet,  who  takes  that  opportun- 
ity to  propose  a  subscription  for  a  similar  ma- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  221 

chine,  which  he  says  he  has  contrived  and  denom- 
inated a  Rotator. 

It  is  much  to  be  lamented  that  the  learned  did 
not  examine  more  strictly  into  the  merit  of  Orffy- 
reus's  wheel;  but,  on  the  contrary,  being  pre- 
possessed with  a  notion  of  the  impracticability  of 
the  perpetual  motion,  suffered  it  to  be  neglected, 
and  at  last  destroyed  by  the  hands  of  a  disap- 
pointed mechanic,  who,  with  unwearied  applica- 
tion and  steady  perseverance,  had  brought  it  to 
perfection.  I  wish  we  may  not  again  let  slip  an 
opportunity  of  becoming  acquainted  with  an  in- 
vention, which,  when  made  public,  will  reflect 
honor  on  the  inventor,  and  be  of  the  utmost  utility 
to  the  world.  Such,  I  would  hope,  is  the  rotator 
mentioned  by  W.  Kenrick;  for,  unless  his  dis- 
covery were  real,  I  cannot  think  that  he  would 
have  taken  the  liberty  to  express  himself  as  he 
does  in  p.  26,  etc.,  "The  inventor  flatters  himself 
that,  if  the  contents  of  the  foregoing  pages  are 
seriously  attended  to,  and  it  be  farther  consid- 
ered, that  not  a  penny  of  the  proposed  premium 
is  required,  till  the  subscribers  are  fully  satisfied 
of  the  reality  and  utility  of  the  invention,  his  pro- 
posal will  not  be  treated  with  so  mortifying  a 
neglect  as  that  of  Orffyreus."  Again  he  says, 
"If  it  does  not  supply  the  place  of  a  first  mover, 
at  the  expense  only  of  the  construction  and  re- 
pair of  a  simple  wheel  subject  to  very  little  fric- 
tion, and  that  in  all  such  engines  and  machines, 
even  from  the  slightest  piece  of  clockwork  to  the 
waterworks  of  Marli  or  London-bridge,  he  ex- 
pects nothing  for  his  discovery,  but  to  stand  ex- 


222  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

posed  to  the  contempt  that  will  be  justly  thrown 
on  him  for  having  so  miserably  mispent  his  time, 
and  frivolously  engaged  the  attention  of  the 
public." 

Now,  I  think  that  W.  Kenrick's  proposals  are 
very  fair;  and  should  be  glad  to  be  informed, 
whether  any  attention  has  been  paid  to  them,  and 
whether  Sir  Isaac  Newton  took  any  notice  of  the 
letter  addressed  to  him  by  Professor  Gravesande. 
I  shall  consider  it  as  a  favor  if  any  correspondent 
will  oblige  me  with  an  answer  to  these  particulars. 

A  CONSTANT  READER. 

In  1721  Rev.  Dr.  J.  T.  Desaguliers,  LL.D, 
F.R.S.,  contributed  to  an  English  periodical  en- 
titled "Philosophical  Transactions/'  the  following 
article  concerning  the  device  of  the  Marquis  of 
Worcester,  and  the  Orffyrean  Wheel : 

REMARKS  ON   SOME  ATTEMPTS   MADE  TOWARDS   A 

PERPETUAL  MOTION;  BY  THE  REVEREND 

DR.  DESAGULIERS,  F.R.S. 

The  wheel  at  Hesse-Cassel,  made  by  Mon- 
sieur Orffyreus,  and  by  him  called  a  perpetual 
motion,  has,  of  late,  been  so  much  talked  of  on 
account  of  its  wonderful  phenomena,  that  a  great 
many  people  have  believed  it  to  be  actually  a  self- 
moving  engine ;  and  accordingly  have  attempted 
to  imitate  it  as  such.  Now,  as  a  great  deal  of 
time  and  money  is  spent  in  those  endeavours,  I 
was  willing  (for  the  sake  of  those  that  try  ex- 
periments with  that  view)  to  show  that  the  prin- 
ciple which  most  of  them  go  upon  is  false,  and  can 
by  no  means  produce  a  perpetual  motion. 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  223 

They  take  it  for  granted  that  if  a  weight 
descending  in  a  wheel  at  a  determined  distance 
from  the  center,  does,  in  its  ascent,  approach 
nearer  to  it ;  such  a  weight  in  its  descent  will  al- 
ways preponderate  and  cause  a  weight  equal  to  it 
to  rise,  provided  it  comes  nearer  the  center  in  its 
rise ;  and  accordingly  as  itself,  rises,  will  be  over- 
balanced by  another  weight  equal  to  it;  and, 
therefore,  they  endeavour  by  various  contrivances 
to  produce  that  effect  as  if  the  consequence  of  it 
would  be  a  perpetual  motion. 

But  I  shall  show  that  they  mistake  one  par- 
ticular case  of  a  general  theorem,  or  rather  a 
corollary  of  it,  for  the  theorem  itself.  The 
theorem  is  as  follows : 

THEOR. — If  one  weight  in  its  descent  does, 
by  means  of  any  contrivance,  cause  another 
weight  to  ascend  with  a  less  momentum  or  quan- 
tity of  motion  than  itself,  it  will  preponderate  and 
raise  the  other  weight. 

COR.  1. — Therefore,  if  the  weights  be  equal, 
the  descending  weight  must  have  more  velocity 
than  the  ascending  weight,  because  the  momen- 
tum is  made  up  of  the  weight  multiplied  into  the 
quantity  of  matter. 

COR.  2. — Therefore,  if  a  leaver  or  balance 
have  equal  weights  fastened  or  hanging  at  its 
ends,  and  the  brachia  be  ever  so  little  unequal 
that  weight  will  preponderate  which  is  farthest 
from  the  center. 

SCHOLIUM. — This  second  corollary  causes 
the  mistake ;  because  those  who  think  the  velocity 
of  the  weight  is  the  line  it  describes,  expect  that 


224  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

that  weight  shall  be  overpoised,  which  describes 
the  shortest  line,  and,  therefore,  contrive  ma- 
chines to  cause  the  ascending  weight  to  describe 
a  shorter  line  than  the  descending  weight.  As 
for  example,  in  the  circle  A  D  B  a  (Fig.  3)  the 
weights  A  and  B  being  supposed  equal,  they  im- 
agine that  if  (by  any  contrivance  whatever) 
whilst  the  weight  A  describes  the  arc  A  a,  the 
weight  B  is  carried  in  any  arc,  as  B  b,  so  as  to 
come  nearer  the  center  in  its  rising  than  if  it 
went  up  the  arc  B  D;  the  said  weight  shall  be 
overpoised,  and  consequently,  by  a  number  of 
such  weights  a  perpetual  motion  will  be  produced. 

This  is  attempted  by  several  contrivances, 
which  all  depend  upon  this  false  principle;  but  I 
shall  only  mention  one  which  is  represented  by 
Fig.  4,  where  a  wheel  having  two  parallel  circum- 
ferences, has  the  space  between  them  divided  into 
cells,  which  being  curved,  will  (when  the  wheel 
goes  round)  cause  weights  placed  loose  in  the  said 
cells  to  descend  on  the  side  A  at  the  outer  circum- 
ference of  the  wheel,  and  on  the  side  D  to  ascend 
in  the  line  Bbbb,  which  comes  nearer  the  cen- 
ter and  touches  the  inner  circumference  of  the 
wheel.  In  a  machine  of  this  kind  the  weights  will 
indeed  move  in  such  a  manner  if  the  wheel  be 
turned  round,  but  will  never  be  the  cause  of  the 
wheel's  going  round.  Such  a  machine  is  men- 
tioned by  the  Marquis  of  Worcester  in  his  "Cen- 
tury of  Inventions/'  in  the  following  words,  No. 
56: 

"To  provide  and  make  that  all  the  weights 
of  the  descending  side  of  a  wheel  shall  be  per- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


225 


petually  farther  from  the  center  than  those  of  the 
mounting  side,  and  yet  equal  in  number  and  heft 
to  the  one  side  as  the  other.  A  most  incredible 
thing,  if  not  seen ;  but  tried  before  the  late  King 
(of  blessed  memory)  in  the  Tower  by  my  direc- 
tions, two  extraordinary  ambassadors  accom- 
panying his  Majesty,  and  the  t)uke  of  Richmond, 
and  Duke  of  Hamilton,  with  most  of  the  court 
attending  him.  The  wheel  was  fourteen  foot 
over  and  had  forty  weights  of  fifty  pounds  a 


piece.  Sir  William  Balfore,  then  Lieutenant  of 
the  Tower,  can  justify  it  with  several  others. 
They  all  saw  that  no  sooner  these  great  weights 
passed  the  diameter  line  of  the  lower  side,  but 
they  hung  a  foot  farther  from  the  center ;  nor  no 
sooner  passed  the  diameter  line  of  the  upper  side, 
but  they  hung  a  foot  nearer.  Be  pleased  to  judge 
of  the  consequence." 

Now  the  consequence  of  this  and  such  like 
machines,  is  nothing  less  than  a  perpetual  motion ; 
and  the  fallacy  is  this :  The  velocity  of  any  weight 
is  not  the  line  which  it  describes  in  general,  but 


226 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


the  height  that  it  rises  up  to  or  falls  from,  with 
respect  to  its  distance  from  the  center  of  the 
earth.  So  that  when  the  weight  (Fig.  3)  de- 
scribes the  arc  A  a,  its  velocity  is  the  line  A  C, 
which  shows  the  perpendicular  descent  (or  meas- 
ures how  much  it  is  come  nearer  to  the  center  of 
the  earth),  and  likewise  the  line  B  C  denotes  the 
velocity  of  the  weight  B,  or  the  height  that  it 
rises  to  when  it  ascends  in  any  of  the  arcs  B  b, 
instead  of  the  arc  B  D:  so  that  in  this  case 

A 


whether  the  weight  B  in  its  ascent  be  brought 
nearer  the  center  or  not,  it  loses  no  velocity  which 
it  ought  to  do  in  order  to  be  raised  up  by  the 
weight  A.  Nay,  the  weight  in  rising  nearer  the 
center  of  a  wheel  may  not  only  lose  of  its  velocity, 
but  be  made  to  gain  velocity  in  proportion  to  the 
velocity  of  its  counterpoising  weights  that  de- 
scend in  the  circumference  of  the  opposite  side  of 
the  wheel;  for  if  we  consider  two  radii  of  the 
wheel,  one  of  which  is  horizontal,  and  the  other 
(fastened  to  and  moving  with  it)  inclined  under 
the  horizon  in  an  angle  of  60  degrees  (Fig.  5) 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  22? 

and  by  the  descent  of  the  end  B  of  the  radius  B  C, 
the  radius  C  D  by  its  motion  causes  the  weight  at 
D  to  rise  up  the  line  p  P,  which  is  in  a  plane  that 
stops  the  said  weight  from  rising  in  the  curve 
D  A,  that  weight  will  gain  velocity,  and  in  the 
beginning  of  its  rise  it  will  have  twice  the  velocity 
of  the  weight  at  B;  and. consequently,  instead  of 
being  raised,  will  overpoise,  if  it  be  equal  to  the 
last  mentioned  weight.  And  this  velocity  will  be 
so  much  the  greater  in  proportion  as  the  angle 


A  C  D  is  greater,  or  as  the  plane  P  p  (along  which 
the  weight  D  must  rise)  is  nearer  to  the  center. 
Indeed,  if  the  weight  at  B  (Fig.  3)  could,  by  any 
means,  be  lifted  up  to  /?,  and  move  in  the  arc  P  b, 
the  end  would  be  answered;  because  then  the 
velocity  would  be  diminished  and  become  P  C. 

EXPERIMENT  (Fig.  5). — Take  the  leaver 
BCD,  whose  brachia  are  equal  in  length,  bent  in 
an  angle  of  120  degrees  at  C  and  moveable  about 
that  point  as  its  center :  in  this  case  a  weight  of 
two  pounds  hanging  at  the  end  of  B  of  the  hori- 
zontal part  of  the  leaver  will  keep  in  equilibrio 
a  weight  of  four  pounds  hanging  at  the  end  D. 


228  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

But  if  a  weight  of  one  pound  be  laid  upon  the  end 
D  of  the  leaver,  so  that  in  the  motion  of  D  along 
the  arc  p  A,  this  weight  is  made  to  rise  up  against 
the  plane  P  p  (which  divides  in  half  the  line  A  C 
equal  to  C  B)  the  said  weight  will  keep  in  equili- 
brio  two  pounds  at  B,  as  having  twice  the  velocity 
of  it  when  the  leaver  begins  to  move.  This  will 
be  evident,  if  you  let  the  weight  4  hang  at  D, 
whilst  the  weight  1  lies  above  it :  for  if  then  you 


s.) 


move  the  leaver  the  weight  1  will  rise  four  times 
as  fast  as  the  weight  4. 

In  1770  Dr.  William  Kenrick  published  "A 
Lecture  on  the  Perpetual  Motion."  In  it  he  has 
the  following  to  say  concerning  the  alleged  inven- 
tions of  the  Marquis  of  Worcester,  and  Council- 
lor Orffyreus,  and  Perpetual  Motion  in  general. 
The  following  excerpts  of  and  comments  on  the 
lecture  are  taken  verbatim  from  Dircks : 

The  mere  exhibition  of  a  self-moving  ma- 
chine without  a  display  of  its  mechanism,  or  the 
principles  on  which  its  motion  is  begun  and  con- 
tinued, could  produce  no  conviction.  The  fate 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  229 

of  Orffyreus  and  his  machine  is  a  proof  of  this. 
Scarce  fifty  years  ago  that  whimsical  mechanician 
exhibited  a  perpetual  motion  at  Hesse  Cassel,  the 
constancy  of  whose  operation  was  experienced 
for  many  weeks  under  the  most  exact  caution  of 
the  Landgrave  of  that  Principality,  whose  testi- 
mony of  such  operation,  as  well  as  in  favor  of  its 
construction  (to  the  secret  of  which  he  was  ad- 
mitted), was  given  in  the  most  explicit  and  de- 
terminate form.  And  yet,  because  Orffyreus 
could  not  display  the  mechanism  without  the  pre- 
vious assurance  of  a  premium  of  200,000  florins 
(near  twenty  thousand  pounds),  or  because  he 
would  not  or  could  not  discover  the  principles  on 
which  it  acted,  his  pretensions  were  neglected,  his 
machine  was  destroyed  by  his  own  hands,  and  his 
life  made  a  sacrifice  to  the  chagrin  attending  his 
disappointment.  Twenty  years  had  he  racked  his 
brains  for  invention,  and  expended  a  patrimonial 
competence  with  parsimony  in  prosecuting  his 
design.  And  when  success  inspired  the  hope  of 
reward,  he  found  his  ingenuity  suspected  of  im- 
posture, and  his  industry  rewarded  with  con- 
tempt. 

Whether  any  of  his  successors  in  the  same 
pursuit  will  meet  with  a  better  fate  is  at  length 
to  be  determined.  One  species  of  our  prede- 
cessor's merit,  however,  I  (adds  Dr.  Kenrick) 
presume  myself  at  least  entitled  to,  that  of  per- 
serverance;  it  being  now  fifteen  years  since  I 
first  engaged  in  this  undertaking,  which  I  have 
since  pursued  with  almost  unremitted  assiduity, 
and  that  not  only  at  a  considerable  waste  of  time 


230  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

and  expense,  but  under  the  constant  mortification 
of  hearing  it  equally  ridiculed  by  those  who  do 
know,  and  by  those  who  do  not  know,  anything 
of  the  matter. 

It  is,  indeed,  generally  supposed,  and  as  con- 
fidently affirmed,  that  the  mathematicians  have 
published  demonstrations  of  the  impossibility  of  a 
perpetual  motion.  But  I  can  safely  take  upon  me 
to  affirm  that  no  such  demonstration  was  ever 
published  by  any.  Within  these  twelve  years 
past  the  mathematicians  who  deny  the  possibility 
of  a  perpetual  motion  have  been  repeatedly  and 
publicly  called  upon,  both  in  the  foreign  and  Eng- 
lish prints,  to  produce  a  single  instance  of  these 
demonstrations.  They  have  not  done  it.  They 
might  have  produced,  indeed,  the  demonstrations 
of  Huygens,  De  la  Hire,  and  others  to  prove,  as 
Desaguliers  very  properly  expresses  it  the  fallacy 
of  the  schemes  of  most  of  the  pretenders  to  the 
perpetual  motion.  They  proved  nothing  more; 
and  this  was  so  far  unnecessary  in  that  the  fallacy 
evidently  appeared  in  the  discovery  of  the  prin- 
ciple on  which  they  were  founded. 

This  was  done  in  the  last  century  by  the  cele- 
brated Marquis  of  Worcester,  in  the  presence  of 
the  King  and  his  Court,  at  the  Tower,  by  the 
exhibition  of  a  wheel  so  contrived  that  in  revolv- 
ing on  its  axis  it  carried  up  several  weights  nearer 
its  center  on  one  side  than  they  descended  on  the 
other.  The  scheme  was  plausible  and  to  appear- 
ance practicable ;  but,  though  the  wheel  was  polite 
enough  to  turn  about  while  his  Majesty  was  pres- 
ent, it  could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to  be  so  com- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  231 

plaisant  in  his  absence.  The  mathematicians 
avenged  themselves  of  the  short  triumph  of  the 
mistaken  Marquis,  but  were  equally  mistaken 
themselves  in  thinking  they  had  routed  the  prob- 
lem or  that  in  hunting  down  the  jackal  they  had 
destroyed  the  lion.  The  perpetual  motion  sur- 
vived; it  had  still  its  advocates;  Professor  Gra- 
vesande  and  John  Bernouille  maintained  its  prac- 
ticability, the  former  giving  his  testimony  in 
favor  of  Orffyreus's  machine,  after  a  long  and 
scrutinous  examination.  It  is  not  twelve  years 
since  this  testimony  was  republished  by  Dr.  Alla- 
inan,  the  present  Professor  of  Natural  Philosophy 
at  Leyden,  whose  own  opinion,  given  at  the  same 
time,  is  also  greatly  in  favor  of  the  discovery. 
It  is  even  some  years  later  that  a  dissertation  still 
more  in  its  favor,  written,  if  I  am  not  mistaken, 
by  the  celebrated  De  Gorter  of  Petersburg,  ap- 
peared in  the  "Philosophical  Transactions"  of 
Haarlem.  My  end  is  not  to  amuse  or  persuade, 
but,  with  due  deference,  to  inform  and  convince. 
To  remove  every  cause  of  objection,  I  must  beg 
leave  to  expatiate  somewhat  at  large  on  the  theory 
of  this  discovery.  It  is  with  the  more  propriety 
I  presume  on  this  method,  as  the  discovery  to 
which  I  pretend  has  not  been  (as  frequently  hap- 
pens) the  effect  of  mechanical  accident,  but  the 
premeditated  result  of  mathematical  reasoning 
and  physical  experiment.  I  shall  proceed  to  elu- 
cidate the  principal  arguments  a  priori,  that  prove 
the  practicability  of  a  perpetual  motion  to  be  the 
necessary  consequence  of  the  known  and  estab- 
lished laws  of  nature. 


232  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

Having  proceeded  thus  far,  he  opens  his  lec- 
ture at  page  7  with  the  introduction;  and  first 
"On  the  Nature  of  Motion  in  General/'  which,  in 
fourteen  pages,  being  more  metaphysical  than 
mechanical,  affords  no  extractable  matter  for  our 
present  object.  Part  I  is  "On  the  Cause  and 
Effect  of  Motion."  This  elementary  part  is  need- 
lessly labored  and  elaborated  through  27  pages. 
In  the  course  of  his  remarks  he  states : 

The  discovery  of  a  perpetual  motion,  says 
De  la  Hire,  would  be  to  discover  a  body  at  once 
heavier  and  lighter  than  itself.  But  this  is  not  a 
fair  state  of  the  question.  It  is  not  necessary 
that  all  the  parts  of  a  perpetually-moving  machine 
should  be  attached  to,  and  inseparable  from  each 
other ;  which  they  must  be,  to  constitute  one  gravi- 
tating body  of  a  determinate  weight. 

He  proceeds  to  consider  the  nature  of  the 
circulation  of  the  blood,  pneumatic  pressure,  the 
steel-yard,  real  and  relative  weight,  and  spiral 
action.  Again,  we  have  Hobbes,  Locke,  and 
Stewart,  in  the  same  sentence  with  such  language 
as — "I  could  almost  as  readily  impute  ingenuity 
to  vegetables  and  fossils — to  the  sensitive  plant 
and  the  loadstone — as  mediation  to  muscles,  or 
cogitabundity  to  cockles,  periwinkles  and  rock 
oysters !"  In  conclusions  he  says : 

I  have  endeavoured  to  make  it  appear  that 
motion  is  the  mechanical  effect  of  the  physical 
action  of  the  primary  elements ;  that  the  direction 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  233 

of  motion  only  comes  within  the  province  of  ani- 
mal intellect;  that  the  vital  system  is  supported 
by  mere  mechanic  motion,  kept  up  by  the  elasticity 
of  the  solids  and  the  gravity  of  the  fluids  com- 
posing the  animal  body ;  that  by  the  same  means 
a  more  simple  inanimate  system  or  machine  may 
be  framed  which  may  have  the  same  property  of 
continued  action  (or,  as  it  is  called,  self-motion). 
And  this  is  all  that  is,  or  can  be,  expected  of  a 
perpetual  motion;  the  momentum  of  which  may 
be  increased  to  any  degree,  according  to  the 
weight  of  the  bodies  employed  and  the  work  re- 
quired to  be  done. 

The  second  part  of  this  lecture  commences 
with  a  Proem  of  thirteen  pages : 

I  am  induced  (he  says)  to  trespass  farther 
by  extending  in  like  manner  the  subsequent  divi- 
sions of  it ;  making  the  second  and  third  parts  of 
my  printed  syllabus  the  topics  of  the  present  read- 
ing, and  reserving  the  last  part,  with  the  conclud- 
ing experiment,  to  the  third  and  final  lecture. 

I  pretend  merely  to  the  investigation  of  the 
general  principles  of  mechanics,  and  even  to  illus- 
trate these  so  far  only  as  I  conceive  they  relate  to 
the  immediate  object  of  my  lecture,  the  discovery 
of  an  artificial  perpetual  motion ;  leaving  the  ap- 
plication of  such  principles,  in  the  solution  of  par- 
ticular phenomena,  or  the  construction  of  partic- 
ular machines,  to  such  as  make  the  different  arts 
and  sciences  their  peculiar  study. 

He  very  prudently  ends,  observing : 

But  I  beg  pardon,  gentlemen,  for  the  length 


234  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

of  this  digressive  introduction,  and  shall  proceed 
to  the  more  immediate  subject  of  my  lecture. 

Section  1  of  this  lecture  is  "On  the  Composi- 
tion and  Combination  of  Motion."  After  dis- 
cussing, in  his  own  peculiar  style,  mechanical 
principles  of  motion,  he  adds : 

It  would  require  a  volume,  and  that  not  a 
small  one,  to  illustrate  these  subjects  and  support 
them  by  the  necessary  demonstrations  and  experi- 
ments. Should  Providence  give  me  life  and 
health,  therefore,  they  (his  auditors)  shall  have 
it.  Indeed,  I  have  already  spent  some  years  in 
preparing  such  a  volume  for  the  press. 

He  is  very  prolix  on  gravity  and  motion,  then 
commences  Section  2  "On  the  Communication 
and  Dissipation  of  Motion."  Five  pages  are 
occupied  in  discussing  motion,  in  popular  lan- 
guage, in  the  course  of  which  he  remarks : 

And  as  to  the  imperfectly  elastic  bodies,  their 
power  of  retaining  or  communicating  motion  de- 
pends entirely  on  their  vis  inertiae  and  weight; 
nor  can  they  on  any  occasion  whatever  communi- 
cate a  greater  momentum  to  another  body  than 
they  themselves  possess.  It  is  sufficient  for  the 
purpose  of  a  perpetual  motion  that  they  can  do 
this.  And,  indeed,  here  all  the  difficulty  lies,  viz., 
in  the  means  of  communicating  the  momentum  or 
moving  force  of  a  heavy  body  to  a  light  one. 
Now,  the  most  virulent  opponents  to  the  practica- 
bility of  perpetual  motion  have  never  pretended 
to  demonstrate  the  impracticability  of  this  com- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  235 

munication.  The  quomodo,  or  means  of  effect- 
ing it,  being  the  point  in  dispute.  It  is  to  this 
discovery  that  I  pretend;  and  to  show  that  my 
pretensions  are  well  grounded,  have  taken  the 
liberty  to  invite  you  to  this  lecture. 

The  lectures  appear  to  have  been  illustrated 
by  a  plate  having  two  figures  of  a  simple  appa- 
ratus used  to  demonstrate  the  action  of  a  spring 
and  two  unequal  weights ;  also  an  inflexible  ruler 
suspended  between  two  unequal  balls — with  both 
he  experimented  before  his  auditors ;  but  the  en- 
graving is  wanting  in  the  edition  now  used.  In 
conclusion,  he  observes : 

You  see,  gentlemen,  I  am  purposely  provided 
here  with  a  very  simple  and  clumsy  apparatus. 
The  perpetual  motion  does  riot  need  the  assistance 
of  friction  wheels,  or  depend  on  the  niggling 
nicety  of  tooth  and  pinion.  If  the  practical  part 
of  my  discovery  be  not  superior  to  the  manual 
dexterity  of  a  village  carpenter  or  country  smith, 
I  am  satisfied.  There  will  be  no  great  discern- 
ment required  to  comprehend  the  design  they  are 
to  put  in  execution.  You  will  permit  me,  how- 
ever, at  present,  to  defer  what  I  have  farther  to 
offer  on  the  subject  to  another  opportunity. 

In  1770  Dr.  Kenrick  published  a  quarto- 
pamphlet  concerning  the  Orffyrean  Wheel,  and  in 
the  pamphlet  appears  the  following  regarding  a 
letter  from  Prof.  Gravesande  to  Sir  Isaac  New- 
ton, and  a  letter  from  Baron  Fischer  to  Dr. 
Desaguliers : 


236  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

A  Letter  from  Professor  's  Gravesande  to  Sir 
Isaac  Newton,  Concerning  Orffyreus's 

Wheel 

SIR:  Doctor  Desaguliers  has  doubtless 
shown  you  the  letter  that  Baron  Fischer  wrote  to 
him  some  time  ago  about  the  wheel  of  Orff yreus ; 
which  the  inventor  affirms  to  be  a  perpetual  mo- 
tion. The  landgrave,  who  is  a  lover  of  the 
sciences  and  fine  arts,  and  neglects  no  opportu- 
nity to  encourage  the  several  discoveries  and  im- 
provements that  are  presented  him,  was  desirous 
of  having  this  machine  made  known  to  the  world, 
for  the  sake  of  public  utility.  To  this  end  he 
engaged  me  to  examine  it;  wishing  that,  if  it 
should  be  found  to  answer  the  pretensions  of  the 
inventor,  it  might  be  made  known  to  persons  of 
greater  abilities,  who  might  deduce  from  it  those 
services  which  are  naturally  to  be  expected  from 
so  singular  an  invention.  You  will  not  be  dis- 
pleased, I  presume,  with  a  circumstantial  account 
of  this  examination;  I  transmit  you,  therefore, 
a  detail  of  the  most  particular  circumstances  ob- 
servable on  an  exterior  view  of  a  machine,  con- 
cerning which  the  sentiments  of  most  people  are 
greatly  divided,  while  almost  all  the  mathemati- 
cians are  against  it.  The  majority  maintain  the 
impossibility  of  a  perpetual  motion,  and  hence  it 
is  that  so  little  attention  has  been  paid  to  Orffy- 
reus  and  his  invention. 

For  my  part,  however,  though  I  confess  my 
abilities  inferior  to  those  of  many  who  have  given 
their  demonstrations  of  this  impossibility;  yet  I 
will  communicate  to  you  the  real  sentiments  with 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  237 

which  I  entered  on  the  examination  of  this  ma- 
chine. It  is  now  more  than  seven  years  since  I 
conceived  I  discovered  the  paralogism  of  those 
demonstrations,  in  that,  though  true  in  them- 
selves, they  were  not  applicable  to  all  possible 
machines ;  and  have  ever  since  remained  perfectly 
persuaded  it  might  be  demonstrated  that  a  per- 
petual motion  involved  no  contradiction;  it  ap- 
pearing to  me  that  Leibnitz  was  wrong  in  laying 
down  the  impossibility  of  the  perpetual  motion  as 
an  axiom.  Notwithstanding  this  persuasion, 
however,  I  was  far  from  believing  Orffyreus 
capable  of  making  such  a  discovery,  looking  upon 
it  as  an  invention  not  to  be  made  (if  ever)  till 
after  many  other  previous  discoveries.  But  since 
I  have  examined  the  machine,  it  is  impossible  for 
me  to  express  my  surprise. 

The  inventor  has  a  turn  for  mechanics,  but 
is  far  from  being  a  profound  mathematician,  and 
yet  his  machine  has  something  in  it  prodigiously 
astonishing,  even  though  it  should  be  an  imposi- 
tion. The  following  is  a  description  of  the  ex- 
ternal parts  of  the  machine,  the  inside  of  which 
the  inventor  will  not  permit  to  be  seen,  lest  any 
one  should  rob  him  of  his  secret.  It  is  a  hollow 
wheel,  or  kind  of  drum,  about  fourteen  inches 
thick  and  twelve  feet  diameter ;  being  very  light, 
as  it  consists  of  several  crosspieces  of  wood 
framed  together ;  the  whole  of  which  is  covered 
over  with  canvas,  to  prevent  the  inside  from  being 
seen.  Through  the  center  of  this  wheel  or  drum 
runs  an  axis  of  about  six  inches  diameter,  ter- 
minated at  both  ends  by  iron  axes  of  about  three- 


238  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

quarters  of  an  inch  diameter  upon  which  the  ma- 
chine turns.  I  have  examined  these  axes  and  am 
firmly  persuaded  that  nothing  from  without  the 
wheel  in  the  least  contributes  to  its  motion.  When 
I  turned  it  but  gently,  it  always  stood  still  as  soon 
as  I  took  away  my  hand ;  but  when  I  gave  it  any 
tolerable  degree  of  velocity,  I  was  always  obliged 
to  stop  it  again  by  force ;  for  when  I  let  it  go,  it 
acquired  in  two  or  three  turns  its  greatest  veloc- 
ity, after  which  it  revolved  for  twenty-five  or 
twenty-six  times  in  a  minute.  This  motion  it 
preserved  some  time  ago  for  two  months,  in  an 
apartment  of  the  castle:  the  door  and  windows 
of  which  were  locked  and  sealed  so  that  there  was 
no  possibility  of  fraud.  At  the  expiration  of  that 
term  indeed  his  serene  highness  ordered  the 
apartment  to  be  opened,  and  the  machine  to  be 
stopped,  lest,  as  it  was  only  a  model,  the  parts 
might  suffer  by  so  much  agitation.  The  land- 
grave being  himself  present  on  my  examination 
of  this  machine,  I  took  the  liberty  to  ask  him,  as 
he  had  seen  the  inside  of  it,  whether  after  being 
in  motion  for  a  certain  time  no  alteration  was 
made  in  the  component  parts ;  or  whether  none  of 
those  parts  might  be  suspected  of  concealing  some 
fraud :  on  which  his  serene  highness  assured  me 
to  the  contrary,  and  that  the  machine  was  very 
simple. 

You  see,  sir,  I  have  not  had  any  absolute 
demonstration,  that  the  principle  of  motion  which 
is  certainly  within  the  wheel,  is  really  a  principle 
of  perpetual  motion ;  but  at  the  same  time  it  can- 
not be  denied  me  that  I  have  received  very  good 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  239 

reasons  to  think  so,  which  is  a  strong  presumption 
in  favor  of  the  inventor.  The  landgrave  hath 
made  Orffyreus  a  very  handsome  present,  to  be 
let  into  the  secret  of  the  machine,  under  an  en- 
gagement nevertheless  not  to  discover,  or  to  make 
any  use  of  it  before  the  inventor  may  procure  a 
sufficient  reward  for  making  his  discovery  public. 

I  am  very  sensible,  sir,  that  it  is  in  England 
only  the  arts  and  sciences  are  so  generally  culti- 
vated as  to  afford  any  prospect  of  the  inventor's 
acquiring  a  reward  adequate  to  this  discovery. 
He  requires  nothing  more  than  the  assurance,  of 
having  it  paid  him  in  case  his  machine  is  found 
to  be  really  a  perpetual  motion ;  and  as  he  desires 
nothing  more  than  this  assurance  till  the  con- 
struction of  the  machine  be  displayed  and  fairly 
examined  before  such  assurance  be  given  him. 
Now,  sir,  as  it  would  conduce  to  public  utility  as 
well  as  to  the  advancement  of  science,  to  discover 
the  reality  or  the  fraud  of  this  invention,  I  con- 
ceive the  relation  of  the  above  circumstances 
could  not  fail  of  being  acceptable.  I  am,  etc. 

In  the  same  book  appear  the  following  ani- 
madversions by  Prof.  Allaman,  on  the  neglect  of 
Orffyreus's  invention: 

We  see  that  the  testimony  of  M.  5s  Grave- 
sande  was  as  advantageous  as  possible  to  Orffy- 
reus, not  having  seen  the  interior  of  the  machine, 
he  could  form  no  other  judgment ;  however,  that 
extraordinary  man  was  not  contented,  for  in  con- 
sequence of  the  examination  Orffyreus  broke  the 
machine,  into  pieces.  By  the  accounts  of  M. 


240  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

's  Gravesande,  Baron  Fischer  and  the  testimony 
of  the  Landgrave  it  appears  clear  that  the  wheel 
was  not  moved  by  any  exterior  agent.  Orffyreus 
is,  however,  accused  of  being  an  impostor,  of  hav- 
ing imposed  on  the  good  faith  of  the  prince,  de- 
ceived M.  's  Gravesande  and  all  those  who  exam- 
ined his*  machine.  His  own  servant  deposed 
against  him  and  said  that  she  was  made  to  turn 
the  wheel,  and  thus  he  has  fallen  into  contempt ; 
and  everyone  who  protected  him,  is  ashamed  of 
him.  M.  de  Crousaz,  who  was  at  that  time  at  the 
court  of  Cassel,  writes  a  letter  to  M.  's  Gravesande 
dated  February  3,  1729,  in  these  terms: — 'First, 
Orffyreus  is  a  fool ;  Second,  It  is  impossible  that 
a  fool  can  have  discovered  what  such  a  number 
of  clever  people  have,  searched  for  without  suc- 
cess; Third,  I  do  not  believe  in  impossibilities; 
Fourth,  One  can  easily  imagine  that  persons  keep 
a  secret  from  which  they  are  to  receive  benefit, 
but  this  fellow,  hoping  only  to  receive  reputation, 
allows  it  to  be  tarnished  by  an  accusation  which 
he  has  in  his  power  to  disprove,  if  false ;  Fifth, 
The  servant  who  ran  away  from  his  house,  for 
fear  of  being  strangled,  has  in  her  possession,  in 
writing,  the  terrible  oath  that  Orffyreus  made 
her  swear ;  Sixth,  He  only  had  to  have  asked,  in 
order  to  have  had  this  girl  imprisoned,  until  he 
had  time  to  finish  his  machine;  Seventh,  They 
publish  that  the  machine  is  going  to  be  exhibited, 
when  suddenly  those  who  advertise  it  become 
silent ;  Eighth,  It  is  true  there  is  a  machine  at  his 
house,  to  which  they  give  the  name  of  perpetual 
motion,  but  that  cannot  be  removed;  it  is  much 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  241 

smaller,  and  differs  from  the  first,  inasmuch  as 
it  only  turns  one  way." 

This  is  what  makes  Orffyreus  and  his  ma- 
chine to  be  suspected;  can  it  be  that  M.  's  Grave- 
sande  was  so  mistaken  as  to  be  his.  dupe  ?  Let  us 
read  what  he  himself  says  in  answer  to  M. 
Crousaz,  which  I  have  found  among  my  papers, 
without  date : — "I  have  deferred  replying  to  you 
until  I  had  found  a  paper  which  I  wrote  the  day 
after  I  examined  Orffyreus'  machine,  for  al- 
though I  remember  well  all  that  passed,  I  believe 
that  a  paper,  written  the  day  after  the  examina- 
tion, and  communicated  to  my  Lord  and  all  those 
who  were  with  him,  must  have  more  weight. 

'This  is  what  I  heard ;  they  say  that  a  ser- 
vant under  oath,  turned  Orffyreus'  machine,  be- 
ing placed  in  an  adjoining  room. 

"I  know  well  that  Orffyreus  is  a  fool,  but  I 
ignore  that  he  is  an  impostor;  I  have  never  de- 
cided whether  his  machine  is  an  imposture  or  not, 
but  this  I  know  as  certainly  as  anything  in  the 
world,  that  if  the  servant  says  the  above,  she  tells 
a  great  falsehood. 

"My  Lord  the  Landgrave  in  the  presence  of 
the  Baron  Fischer,  Architect  of  the  Emperor,  and 
other  persons  at  my  request,  showed  the  supports 
of  the  machine;  we  saw  the  axles  uncovered;  I 
examined  the  plates  or  brasses  on  which  the  axles 
rested  and  in  that  examination  there  did  not  ap- 
pear the  slightest  trace  of  communication  with 
the  adjoining  room.  I  remember  very  distinctly 
the  whole  of  the  circumstances  of  that  examina- 
tion, which  put  Orffyreus  in  such  a  rage  with 


243  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

me,  that  the  day  after  he  broke  his  machine  in 
pieces,  and  wrote  on  the  wall  that,  it  was  the  im- 
pertinent curiosity  of  Professor  's  Gravesande 
which  was  the  cause.  I  read  this  myself  the  fol- 
lowing year,  and  the  result  of  the  examination  is 
clearly  explained  in  the  paper  of  which  I  spoke  to 
you. 

"They  told  me  several  circumstances  on  the 
testimony  of  the  servant,  but  I  pay  little  atten- 
tion to  what  a  servant  can  say  about  machines, 
perhaps  in  turning  her  master's  roast-jack  she 
thought  she  saw  a  perpetual  motion.  If  you  know 
anything  concerning  this  matter  I  shall  feel  much 
pleasure  if  you  would  communicate  it." 

It  is  difficult  to  determine  what  to  believe 
about  this  machine.  It  seems  to  me,  however,  that 
on  examining  minutely  the  for  and  against  Orffy- 
reus  we  can  come  to  these  conclusions:  1.  That 
Orffyreus  was  evidently  mad,  as  M.  's  Grave- 
sande and  M.  de  Crousaz  both  affirm;  his  ma- 
chinery broken  at  different  times  without  either 
reason  or  necessity  prove  this.  But  his  was  a  sort 
of  madness  we  do  not  often  see:  a  folly  fixed 
only  on  certain  objects,  and  merits  more  the  name 
of  f  antasticalness  or  whimsicalness ;  this  kind  of 
folly  is  often  accompanied  by  much  genius,  and 
when  persons  of  this  disposition  apply  themselves 
solely  to  one  subject,  as  it  appears  he  did,  it  is  not 
surprising  to  find  them  making  discoveries  which 
had  escaped  the  sagacity  of  wiser  people.  Thus 
I  do  not  wish  to  agree  with  M.  de  Crousaz,  that 
it  is  incredible  that  a  madman,  such  as  Orffyreus 
should  have  found  out  something  that  learned 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  243 

men  have  searched  for  unsuccessfully.  Added 
to  this  he  is  mistaken  in  saying  that  Orffyreus 
could  hope  for  no  other  reward  for  his  secrets 
than  mere  reputation :  for  he  expected  a  consider- 
able profit  seeing  that  he  demanded  for  it  200,000 
florins.  2.  No  exterior  agent  moved  the  ma- 
chine ;  if  it  were  a  servant  that  moved  it,  would  it 
not  have  been  apparent  to  eyes  so  searching  as 
those  that  made  the  examination,  or  to  the  Land- 
grave, who  had  seen  the  interior  of  the  machine? 
Besides  how  can  any  one  imagine  that  a  wheel  of 
so  great  a  volume  could  have  been  moved  by  such 
a  cause,  a  cause  which  would  act  simply  on  the 
axle  in  crossing  the  supports,  and  which  must 
have  been  so  small  as  to  have  escaped  the  most 
rigorous  examination  ?  3.  If  the  servant  has  not 
been  paid  to  depose  against  OrfFyreus,  what  does 
her  testimony  prove  ?  Only  that  her  master  made 
her  believe  that  by  turning  a  little  wheel,  she 
moved  the  whole  machine,  and  we  can  fancy  a 
singular  character,  such  as  he  was  might  have 
done  this  to  prevent  the  curiosity  of  those  who 
sought  to  penetrate  his  secret ;  M.  's  Gravesande's 
opinion  of  this  strange  character  is  such  that  he 
doubts  not  his  whimsicalness  prevented  him  from 
making  a  new  machine.  4.  It  must  be  confessed 
that  this  wheel  was  a  very  remarkable  mechanical 
phenomenon,  and  this  is  all  we  can  say,  not  know- 
ing more  than  the  preceding  details ;  it  were  too 
much  temerity  to  say  that  this  invention  was  a 
perpetual  motion,  as  much  as  it  would  be  wrong 
to  call  it  an  imposture,  seeing  that  no  exterior 
agent  was  employed. 


244  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

Dr.  Kenrick  proceeds  to  state  that: — The 
celebrated  John  Bernoulli,  speaking  of  the  above 
demonstration,  in  a  letter  to  the  author,  remarks 
that  it  is  very  just;  the  principle  assumed  neces- 
sarily involving  an  augmentation  of  force,  viz., 
a  perpetual  motion.  But  this,  continues  he,  is  no 
more  than  Leibnitz  had  long  before  demonstrated 
in  his  dispute  with  Papin  and  others. 

Having  thus  occupied  twenty-three  pages  in 
fencing  himself  with  a  screen  against  the  ridicule 
he  appears  to  have  so  much  dreaded,  and  reason- 
ably anticipated  from  the  many  authors  he  had 
himself  similarly  treated  in  the  "London  Re- 
view," we  are  informed  that, — An  accidental  con- 
versation, many  years  ago,  on  the  spot  where 
Orffyreus  exhibited  his  machine,  awakened  the 
author's  curiosity  and  directed  his  attention  to  an 
object  which  he  has  ever  since  occasionally  pur- 
sued. The  experiments  he  has  made,  even  so 
long  since  as  the  year  1761,  convinced  him  so  far 
of  the  reality  of  Orffyreus'  discovery,  that  he  ap- 
plied for  letters-patent  to  secure  an  exclusive 
right  to  the  construction  of  a  similar  machine; 
which  he  had  contrived  and  denominated  A 
ROTATOR.  Before  his  patent,  however,  was  ex- 
pedited, he  reflected  that,  though  the  model  he 
had  constructed  might  serve  to  remove  the  preju- 
dices of  the  public,  it  was  not  so  well  calculated 
as  it  might  be,  to  answer  the  practical  purposes 
of  so  important  a  discovery.  To  the  improvement 
of  the  Rotator,  therefore,  has  he  long  since 
dedicated  all  the  time  and  attention  he  could 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  245 

possibly  spare  from  his  other,  more  immediately 
necessary,  pursuits. 

Nothing  can  be  more  flimsy  than  the  state- 
ment here  made,  and  the  next  sentence  would 
seem  to  explain  the  true  state  of  the  case.  He 
proceeds :  "Not  that  he  believes  he  has  contrived 
quite  so  many  different  machines  as  Orffyreus 
did,  though  he  has  been  almost  as  many  years 
engaged  in  the  like  undertaking;  he  has,  never- 
theless, both  contrived  and  constructed  a  con- 
siderable number,  many  of  them  useless  as  costly, 
except  indeed  as  they  served  to  assist  him  in  com- 
pleting his  invention." 

His  invention,  however,  was  not  complete; 
the  very  model  of  it  was  unsatisfactory.  Like 
Orffyreus,  he  had  spent  nearly  twenty  years, 
making  numerous,  and  some  costly,  machines. 
He  no  doubt  had  his  own  misgivings,  and  wished 
to  reimburse  himself  for  the  great  outlay  he  must 
have  incurred  during  that  long  period,  before 
the  bubble  finally  burst!  However,  poor  man, 
he  died  nine  years  after  publishing  this  elaborate 
advertising  prospectus,  which  concludes:  "Such 
bodies  corporate,  private  companies  or  indi- 
viduals, as  are  interested  in  the  construction  or 
use  of  considerable  mechanical  engines,  or  are 
disposed  to  encourage  the  present  discovery,  may 
receive  any  further  information  they  require,  on 
applying  to  the  inventor,  WILLIAM  KENRICK, 
Charles  street,  St.  James's  Square,  March  1, 
1770." 

In  1803,  Dr.  Charles  Hutton,  LL.D.,  and  F. 
R.  S.,  contributed  in  a  brief  work  entitled,  "Recre- 


246  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

ations  in  Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy," 
gave  the  following  notice  to  the  Orff yrean  Wheel : 

The  perpetual  motion  has  been  the  quicksand 
of  mechanicians,  as  the  quadrature  of  the  circle, 
the  trisection  of  an  angle,  etc.,  have  been  that  of 
geometricians :  and  as  those  who  pretend  to  have 
discovered  the  solution  of  the  latter  problems  are 
in  general  persons  scarcely  acquainted  with  the 
principles  of  geometry,  those  who  search  for,  or 
imagine  they  have  found,  the  perpetual  motion, 
are  always  men  to  whom  the  most  certain  and 
invariable  truths  of  mechanics  are  unknown. 

It  may  be  demonstrated,  indeed,  to  all  those 
capable  of  reasoning  in  a  sound  manner  on  those 
sciences,  that  a  perpetual  motion  is  impossible: 
for,  to  be  possible,  it  is  necessary  that  the  effect 
should  become  alternately  the  cause,  and  the  cause 
the  effect.  It  would  be  necessary,  for  example, 
that  a  weight  raised  to  a  certain  height  by  another 
weight,  should  in  its  turn  raise  the  second  weight 
to  the  height  from  which  it  descended.  But,  ac- 
cording to  the  laws  of  motion,  all  that  a  descend- 
ing weight  could  do,  in  the  most  perfect  machine 
which  the  mind  can  conceive,  is  to  raise  another 
in  the  same  time  to  a  height  reciprocally  propor- 
tional to  its  mass.  But  it  is  impossible  to  con- 
struct a  machine  in  which  there  shall  be  neither 
friction  nor  the  resistance  of  some  medium  to  be 
overcome ;  consequently  at  each  alternation  of  as- 
cent and  descent,  some  quantity  of  motion,  how- 
ever small,  will  always  be  lost:  each  time,  there- 
fore, the  weight  to  be  raised  will  ascend  to  a  less 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  247 

height ;  and  the  motion  will  gradually  slacken,  and 
at  length  cease  entirely. 

A  moving  principle  has  been  sought  for,  but 
without  success,  in  the  magnet,  in  the  gravity  of 
the  atmosphere,  and  in  the  elasticity  of  bodies.  If 
a  magnet  be  disposed  in  such  a  manner  as  to  facil- 
itate the  ascension  of  a  weight,  it  will  afterwards 
oppose  its  descent.  Springs,  after  being  unbent, 
require  to  be  bent  by  a  new  force  equal  to  that 
which  they  exercise;  and  the  gravity  of  the  at- 

12.) 


mosphere,  after  forcing  one  side  of  the  machine 
to  the  lowest  point,  must  be  itself  raised  again, 
like  any  other  weight,  in  order  to  continue  its 
action. 

We  shall,  however,  give  an  account  of  vari- 
ous attempts  to  obtain  a  perpetual  motion,  be- 
cause they  may  serve  to  show  how  much  some 
persons  have  suffered  themselves  to  be  deceived 
on  this  subject. 


248  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

Fig.  52,  plate  12,  represents  a  large  wheel, 
the  circumference  of  which  is  furnished,  at  equal 
distances,  with  levers,  each  bearing  at  its  extrem- 
ity a  weight,  and  movable  on  a  hinge,  so  that  in 
one  direction  they  can  rest  upon  the  circumfer- 
ence, while  on  the  opposite  side,  being  carried 
away  by  the  weight  at  the  extremity,  they  are 
obliged  to  arrange  themselves  in  the  direction  of 
the  radius  continued.  This  being  supposed,  it  is 

Ufy.53.) 


evident  that  when  the  wheel  turns  in  the  direction 
a  b  c,  the  weights  A  B  and  C  will  recede  from  the 
centre ;  consequently,  as  they  act  with  more  force, 
they  will  carry  the  wheel  towards  that  side ;  and 
as  a  new  lever  will  be  thrown  out,  in  proportion 
as  the  wheel  revolves,  it  thence  follows,  say  they, 
that  the  wheel  will  continue  to  move  in  the  same 
direction.  But,  notwithstanding  the  specious  ap- 
pearance of  this  reasoning,  experience  has  proved 
that  the  machine  will  not  go ;  and  it  may  indeed  be 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  249 

demonstrated  that  there  is  a  certain  position  in 
which  the  centre  of  gravity  of  all  these  weights 
is  in  the  vertical  plane  passing  through  the  point 
of  suspension,  and  that  therefore  it  must  stop. 

The  case  is  the  same  with  the  following  ma- 
chine, which  it  would  appear  ought  to  move  also 
incessantly.  In  a  cylindric  drum,  in  perfect  equi- 
librium on  its  axis,  are  formed  channels  as  seen  in 
Fig.  53,  which  contain  balls  of  lead,  or  a  certain 
quantity  of  quicksilver.  In  consequence  of  this 
disposition,  the  balls  or  quicksilver  must,  on  the 
one  side,  ascend  by  approaching  the  centre ;  and 
on  the  other  must  roll  towards  the  circumfer- 
ence. The  machine  then  ought  to  turn  incessantly 
towards  that  side. 

A  third  machine  of  this  kind  is  represented 
in  Fig.  54.  It  consists  of  a  kind  of  wheel  formed 
of  six  or  eight  arms,  proceeding  from  a  centre, 
where  the  axis  of  motion  is  placed.  Each  of  these 
arms  is  furnished  with  a  receptacle  in  the  form 
of  a  pair  of  bellows,  but  those  on  the  opposite 
arms  stand  in  contrary  directions,  as  seen  in  the 
figure.  The  movable  top  of  each  receptacle  has 
affixed  to  it  a  weight,  which  shuts  it  in  one  situa- 
tion and  opens  it  in  the  other.  In  the  last  place, 
the  bellows  of  the  opposite  arms  have  a  communi- 
cation by  means  of  a  canal,  and  one  of  them  is 
filled  with  quicksilver. 

These  things  being  supposed,  it  is  visible, 
that  the  bellows  on  the  one  side  must  open,  and 
those  on  the  other  must  shut;  consequently  the 
mercury  will  pass  from  the  latter  into  the  former, 
while  the  contrary  will  be  the  case  on  the  opposite 
side, 


350  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

It  might  be  difficult  to  point  out  the  deficiency 
of  this  reasoning;  but  those  acquainted  with  the 
true  principles  of  mechanics  will  not  hesitate  to 
bet  a  hundred  to  one  that  the  machine,  when  con- 
structed, will  not  answer  the  intended  purpose. 

The  description  of  a  pretended  perpetual  mo- 

'.54.) 


tion,  in  which  bellows,  to  be  alternately  filled  with 
and  emptied  of  quicksilver,  were  employed,  may 
be  seen  in  the  "Journal  des  Savans"  for  1685.  It 
was  refuted  by  Bernoulli  and  some  others,  and 
it  gave  rise  to  a  long  dispute.  The  best  method 
which  the  inventor  could  have  employed  to  de- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  251 

fend  his  invention  would  have  been  to  construct 
it,  and  show  it  in  motion ;  but  this  was  never  done. 

We  shall  here  add  another  curious  anecdote 
on  this  subject.  One  Orffyreus  announced,  at 
Leipsic,  in  the  year  1717,  a  perpetual  motion,  con- 
sisting of  a  wheel  which  would  continually  re- 
volve. This  machine  was  constructed  for  the 
Landgrave  of  Hesse  Cassel,  who  caused  it  to  be 
shut  up  in  a  place  of  safety,  and  the  door  to  be 
sealed  with  his  own  seal.  At  the  end  of  forty 
days,  the  door  was  opened,  and  the  machine  was 
found  in  motion.  This,  however,  affords  no  proof 
in  favor  of  a  perpetual  motion ;  for  as  clocks  can 
be  made  to  go  a  year  without  being  wound  up, 
Orffyreus's  wheel  might  easily  go  forty  days,  and 
even  more. 

The  result  of  this  pretended  discovery  is  not 
known.  We  are  informed  that  an  Englishman 
offered  80,000  crowns  for  this  machine;  but 
Orffyreus  refused  to  sell  it  at  that  price :  in  this 
he  certainly  acted  wrong,  as  there  is  reason  to 
think  he  obtained  by  his  invention,  neither  money, 
nor  even  the  honor  of  having  discovered  the  per- 
petual motion. 

The  Academy  of  Painting  at  Paris  possessed 
a  clock  which  had  no  need  of  being  wound  up, 
and  which  might  be  considered  as  a  perpetual 
motion,  though  it  was  not  so.  But  this  requires 
some  explanation.  The  ingenious  author  of  this 
clock  employed  the  variations  in  the  state  of  the 
atmosphere  for  winding  up  his  moving  weight. 
Various  artifices  might  be  devised  for  this  pur- 
pose ;  but  this  is  no  more  a  perpetual  motion  than 


252  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

if  the  flux  and  reflux  of  the  sea  were  employed 
to  keep  the  machine  continually  going;  for  this 
principle  of  motion  is  exterior  to  the  machine, 
and  forms  no  part  of  it. 

But  enough  has  been  said  on  this  chimera  of 
mechanics.  We  sincerely  hope  that  none  of  our 
readers  will  ever  lose  themselves  in  the  ridiculous 
and  unfortunate  labyrinth  of  such  a  research. 

To  conclude,  it  is  false  that  any  reward  has 
been  promised  by  the  European  Powers  to  the 
person  who  shall  discover  the  perpetual  motion; 
and  the  case  is  the  same  in  regard  to  the  quadra- 
ture of  the  circle.  It  is  this  idea,  no  doubt,  that 
excites  so  many  to  attempt  the  solution  of  these 
problems;  and  it  is  proper  they  should  be  unde- 
ceived/* 

The  foregoing,  we  believe,  are  sufficient  to 
disclose  the  gist  of  all  that  is  known,  and  all  that 
has  been  said  concerning  the  claimed  inventions 
of  the  distinguished  Marquis  and  the  distin- 
guished Councillor.  It  is  manifest  from  reading 
the  above  that  Dircks  himself,  as  well  as  nearly 
all  the  other  eminent  persons  quoted  above,  felt 
an  extreme  delicacy  in  stating  their  honest  belief 
concerning  the  claims  of  the  distinguished  in- 
ventors. That  delicacy  arose  from  their  defer- 
ence to  the  rank  and  prominence  of  the  Marquis 
and  the  Councillor.  The  author  of  this  book  is 
not  thus  encumbered,  and  has  no  such  regard  for 
family  or  official  rank,  and  feels  at  liberty  to  say 
exactly  what  he  thinks. 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  253 

No  one  now  actually  believes  that  either  the 
Marquis  or  the  Councillor  ever  made  a  wheel  or 
machine  that  actually  furnished  its  own  motive- 
power.  Those  who  believe  in  the  impossibility  of 
Perpetual  Motion,  of  course,  do  not  admit  the 
possibility  of  such  a  thing.  Those  who  may  still 
believe  in  the  possibility  of  Perpetual  Motion  de- 
vices admit,  as  they  must,  that  had  either  of  these 
discoveries  actually  been  made  it  would  have 
supplanted  steam,  electricity,  wind,  water  and  all 
other  forms  of  power  for  driving  machinery,  and, 
indeed,  for  furnishing  heat.  And,  yet,  the  above 
articles  and  comments  show  that  the  contempor- 
aries of  the  Marquis  and  the  Councillor,  and  sub- 
sequent writers  on  their  claims  sought  to  find 
excuses  and  explanations  consistent  with  their 
good  faith  and  their  claims.  We  do  not  accuse 
either  one  of  them  of  vicious  falsehood,  but  the 
truth  is  that  when  the  Marquis  of  Worcester 
wrote  that  "all  the  weights  of  the  descending  side 
of  a  wheel  shall  be  perpetually  farther  from  the 
centre  than  those  of  the  mounting  side,  and  yet 
equal  in  number  and  heft  to  the  one  side  as  the 
other.  A  most  incredible  thing,  if  not  seen ;  but 
tried  before  the  late  King  (of  blessed  memory)  in 
the  Tower  by  my  directions,"  etc.,  he  meant,  if 
he  meant  anything,  to  convey  the  idea  that  he  had 
constructed  such  a  machine,  and  had  exhibited  it 
before  King  Charles  I,  and  when  Orffyreus  wrote 


254  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

"The  inward  structure  of  the  wheel  is  of  a  nature 
according  to  the  laws  of  mechanical  perpetual 
motion,  so  arranged  that  by  disposed  weights 
once  in  rotation  they  gain  force  from  their  own 
swinging  and  must  continue  their  movement  as 
long  as  their  structure  does  not  lose  its  position 
and  arrangement,"  he  meant,  as  clearly  appears 
from  the  entire  context  of  what  he  wrote,  to  con- 
vey .the  idea  that  he  had  constructed  a  wheel 
capable  of  moving  perpetually  by  virtue  of  the 
arrangement  of  its  own  parts  until  it  should 
wear  out.  Neither  one  spoke  the  truth.  Each 
knew  that  he  had  done  no  such  thing  as  he  claimed 
to  have  done.  He  probably  thought  the  solution 
so  near  at  hand  that  he  could  safely  announce  it 
to  the  world,  and  when  called  upon  for  a  demon- 
stration could  produce  the  finished  working 
article. 

The  author  of  this  book  has  known  many 
Perpetual  Motion  workers  so  confident  and  so 
enthusiastic  that  unhampered  with  extreme  dis- 
cretion, they  announced  that  they  were  near 
enough  to  the  solution  of  this  ages-old  puzzle  that 
they  were  certain  of  success.  A  little  less  discre- 
tion, with  the  slightest  disregard  or  even  careless- 
ness about  the  absolute  truth  could  have  easily 
led  them  to  announce  that  they  had  such  a  work- 
ing machine.  The  author  has  indeed  known  a  few 
such  announcements.  It  is  therefore,  not  surpris- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  255 

ing  that  in  the  history  of  Perpetual  Motion  labors, 
instances  can  be  found  where  the  tireless,  but  en- 
thusiastic worker  being  full  of  confidence,  and 
not  secretive,  and  with  the  least  bit  of  human 
carelessness  about  the  truth  have  announced  the 
actual  discovery  and  successful  operation  of  the 
machine.  We  will  undertake  to  say  that  there 
have  been  thousands  of  just  such  instances  during 
the  last  three  or  four  centuries,  probably  tens  of 
thousands.  It  is  probable  that  such  an  instance 
could  be  found  in  every  township  in  the  United 
States.  It  is  not,  therefore,  surprising  that  two 
instances  can  be  found  in  persons  of  sufficient  per- 
sonal eminence  to  give  credence  and  weight  to 
their  stories.  Such  we  conceive  the  facts  with 
reference  to  the  Marquis  and  the  Councillor. 
Each  thought  what  he  told  when  telling  it  to  be  a 
harmless  stretch  of  the  truth,  and  felt  sure  that 
he  could  protect  himself  by  a  very  little  added 
perfection  to  his  device.  How  many  many  Per- 
petual Motion  devices  have  been  perfect  and 
ready  for  successful  operation  except  for  "one 
little  thing,"  which  the  inventor  felt  sure  of  find- 
ing. 

The  Marquis  and  Councillor  by  their  little 
indiscretion,  and  their  puerile  carelessness  about 
the  truth,  each  made  himself  neither  famous,  nor 
infamous,  but  ridiculous  in  history. 


CHAPTER  XI 

Conservation  of  Energy — A  Discussion  of  the 

Relation  of  the  Doctrine  of  Conservation 

of  Energy,  and  the  Possibility  of 

Perpetual  Motion 

Conservation  of  Energy  is  a  doctrine  to  the 
effect  that  energy,  like  matter,  is  indestructible, 
and,  except  by  the  infinite,  can  neither  be  created 
nor  destroyed;  that  the  sum  total  of  all  Energy 
in  the  world  remains  constant ;  that  it  may  mani- 
fest itself  in  different  forms,  as  heat,  magnetism, 
electricity,  mechanical  motion,  vaporization,  but 
that  the  sum  total  remains  the  same. 

Nothing  could  be  more  satisfactorily  proved 
than  this  doctrine,  and,  yet,  like  Newton's  theory 
of  universal  gravitation  the  proof  does  not 
amount  to  a  mathematical  demonstration.  Mathe- 
matics demonstrates  the  conformity  of  the  doc- 
trine of  universal  gravitation,  and  of  Conserva- 
tion of  Energy  with  all  known  natural  processes 
and  observed  phenomena ;  but  mathematics  does 
not  otherwise  prove  the  Universality  of  Gravita- 
tion nor  Conservation  of  Energy. 

Writing  on  this  subject  of  proof,  with  refer- 
ence to  gravitation,  the  late  and  eminent  Simon 
Newcomb  says : 

"It  may  be  inquired,  is  the  induction  which 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  257 

supposes  gravitation  universal  so  complete  as  to 
be  entirely  beyond  doubt  ?  We  reply  that  within 
the  solar  system  it  certainly  is.  The  laws  of  mo- 
tion as  established  by  observation  and  experiment 
at  the  surface  of  the  earth  must  be  considered  as 
mathematically  certain.  Now,  it  is  an  observed 
fact  that  the  planets  in  their  motion  deviate  from 
straight  lines  in  a  certain  way.  By  the  first  law 
of  motion,  such  deviation  can  be  produced  only  by 
a  force;  and  the  direction  and  intensity  of  this 
force  admit  of  being  calculated  once  that  the  mo- 
tion is  determined.  When  thus  calculated,  it  is 
found  to  be  exactly  represented  by  one  great  force 
constantly  directed  toward  the  sun,  and  smaller 
subsidiary  forces  directed  toward  the  several 
planets.  Therefore,  no  fact  in  nature  is  more 
firmly  established  than  is  that  of  universal  gravi- 
tation, as  laid  down  by  Newton,  at  least  within 
the  solar  system." 

It  will  thus  be  observed  that  the  theory  of 
Universal  Gravitation  is  not  by  scientific  men 
claimed  to  have  been  mathematically  demon- 
strated, but  its  proof  is  regarded  as  resting  upon 
its  conformity  with  known  natural  phenomena. 
The  same  thing  is  true  of  Conservation  of  En- 
ergy. Scientists  and  mathematicians  do  not  claim 
proof  of  this  doctrine  other  than  by  its  universal 
coincidence  with  all  natural  manifestations,  and, 
yet  its  proof  rests  upon  such  a  solid  structure 
of  coincidence  and  conformity  with  all  known 
things  in  nature,  that  now  all  scientific  research 


258  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

begins  with  its  assumption,  and  with  the  exclusion 
of  the  possibility  of  Perpetual  Motion. 

It  is  not  within  the  purview  of  this  work  to 
give  a  history  of  the  origin  and  establishment  in 
science  of  the  doctrine.  While,  as  heretofore 
noted  in  this  book,  a  number  of  scientists  of  the 
past  few  centuries  are  shown  by  their  reflections 
to  have  had  a  measure  of  appreciation  of  its  ulti- 
mate effect,  and  to  have  applied  that  effect  in  their 
scientific  researches,  there  is  no  evidence  that  they 
ever  dreamed  of  its  establishment  as  a  basic  fact 
of  science.  The  real  establishment  and  accept- 
ance of  the  doctrine  dates  not  much  over  a  half 
century  back.  Since  that  time  many  scientists 
have  in  their  researches  and  writings  contributed 
to  its  evolution  and  formation.  The  experiments 
of  Joule,  of  England,  and  the  generalizations  of 
Helmholtz,  of  Germany,  are  entitled  to  special 
mention. 

Scientists  are  naturally  and  necessarily  con- 
servative. So  many  startling  pseudo-scientific 
facts  are  announced,  that  every  startling  scientific 
theory,  before  it  is  accepted,  is  submitted  to  the 
most  careful  and  crucial  tests.  No  modern  scien- 
tist will  announce  a  scientific  fact  as  having  been 
demonstrated  until  the  demonstration  is  complete 
and  fortified  with  repeated  tests  of  mathematical 
rigidity,  and  as  long  as  there  remains  a  phenom- 
enon that  does  not  conform  to  the  supposed 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  259 

theory,  acceptance  and  promulgation  will  be  with- 
held. It  is,  therefore,  not  surprising  that  the 
doctrine  of  Conservation  of  Energy  has  been 
thoroughly  intrenched  as  an  established  indis- 
putable and  accepted  fact  of  science,  less  than  a 
single  generation. 

The  student  of  natural  science  should  be 
warned  against  the  common  error  of  supposing 
that  the  discovery  of  a  scientific  fact  or  theory, 
means  demolition  of  the  old  theories.  The  rule 
is  the  other  way.  New  theories  are  additional 
information  to  the  world,  and  usually  conform 
to,  and  are  built  upon  what  was  known  before. 
Conservation  of  Energy  was  generalized  from 
previously  known  facts  conformed  to  them  and 
reflexively  elucidated  them,  and  left  them  stand- 
ing clearer  than  before. 

The  proof  that  Conservation  of  Energy  con- 
forms to  all  other  known  phenomena  of  nature 
has  been  aided,  and  hastened  by  the  refinement  of 
scientific  instruments  by  which  forms  of  energy 
such  as  heat,  electricity,  and  magnetism  can  be 
more  delicately  measured  and  determined  than 
ever  before,  and  if  instruments  for  measuring 
and  determining  the  amount  of  energy  in  its  vari- 
ous forms  w,ere  as  crude  as  they  were  even  a 
single  century  ago,  it  is  probable  Conservation 
of  Energy  would  still  be  the  undiscovered  founda- 
tion of  all  natural  phenomena. 


&60  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

Let  us  now  consider  a  few  well-known  facts 
which  it  has  been  determined  positively  by  the 
most  delicate  instruments,  prove  and  illustrate 
the  doctrine  of  Conservation  of  Energy. 

Resistance  to  motion,  or  which  is  the  same 
thing,  motion  against  resistance,  is  always  ac- 
companied by  heat.  LThis  developed  heat  is  not 
always  readily  perceptible  to  our  sense  of  touch. 
A  stone,  ball  or  other  object  thrown  through  the 
air  has  its  motion  gradually  arrested  by  the  air. 
Heat  is  developed,  but  the  heat  is  distributed 
through  so  much  air  and  the  object  thrown  is 
heated  so  little  that  this  development  of  heat  was 
not  known  until  scientifically  discovered.  Where 
the  resistance  is  friction,  the  development  of  heat 
is  quite  perceptible,  and  has  always  been  well 
known.  Suppose  a  coin  be  rubbed  on  a  cloth  or 
blotter.  Heat  is  developed  both  in  the  coin  and 
the  blotter — the  more  vigorous  the  rubbing — i.  e., 
the  more  energy  expended,  the  greater  the  heat. 
Science  has  determined  that  the  developed  heat 
is  exactly  proportional  to  the  expended  energy. 
Every  machinist  knows  that  in  turning  a  tap  on 
a  bolt  where  the  threads  are  rusty  so  that  it 
turns  only  with  the  application  of  great  force,  a 
considerable  amount  of  heat  is  readily  developed. 
The  heat  developed  is  proportional  to  the  energy 
expended  in  turning  the  tap. 

A  wheel  revolving  on  a  spindle  will  develop 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  261 

heat  exactly  proportional  to  the  resistance  the 
spindle  offers  to  the  wheel  turning  upon  it.  Thus, 
we  often  see  smoke  and  a  blaze  rising  from  the 
spindles  of  the  car  wheels  where  oil  is  lacking, 
and  they  turn  with  difficulty. 

Every  farmer  knows  that  if  a  buggy  wheel 
turns  with  difficulty  for  want  of  lubrication,  or 
for  any  other  reason,  the  spindle  will  heat,  expand 
and  lock  the  wheel,  so  that  it  will  often  either 
grind  out  the  boxing  or  slide  on  the  ground. 
Whereas,  if  the  parts  be  kept  lubricated  so  that 
less  energy  is  required  to  turn  the  wheel  on  the 
spindle,  there  is  vno  perceptible  heat  developed, 
but  in  all  cases  heat  is  developed  to  some  extent, 
and  the  heat  developed  is  exactly  proportional  to 
the  energy  necessary  to  force  the  revolution. 

With  heat  we  can  boil  water  and  make  steam 
under  a  pressure,  and  with  the  steam  under  a 
pressure  we  can  run  an  engine,  and  with  the  en- 
gine make  heat  by  friction,  or  make  electric  cur- 
rent that  can  produce  heat.  Carry  this  propo- 
sition back  to  the  fuel  box,  and  knowing  the 
amount  of  heat  developed  by  the  burning  of  a 
certain  quantity  of  fuel,  it  is  found  that,  counting 
the  heat  that  rises  in  the  air  through  the  smoke 
stack,  the  heat  that  is  radiated  from  the  boiler, 
the  heat  that  is  carried  away  in  warmed  ashes, 
the  heat  that  exists  in  the  steam  after  it  is  ex- 
hausted from  the  cylinder,  and  all  other  heat  ex- 


232  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

pended  whether  utilized  in  driving  the  machinery 
or  going  to  waste,  the  sum  total  is  in  every  case 
equal  to  the  heat  developed  by  the  fuel  box  com- 
bustion. The  most  striking  thing  about  all  this 
is  that  when  the  steam  goes  into  the  cylinder 
where  it  is  cooled  as  it  expands  and  drives  the 
pistons,  the  heat  thus  lost  by  the  expanding  steam 
is  the  exact  equivalent  of  the  mechanical  energy 
realised  against  the  piston  head.  Not  all  of  the 
energy  that  is  realized  at  the  piston  head  is  de- 
livered to  the  driving  shaft.  Some  of  it  is  lost  in 
the  friction  of  the  piston  rings  wearing  against 
the  cylinder  lining;  some,  of  course,  is  lost  in 
friction  at  the  journals  connecting  with  the  driv- 
ing shaft.  It  is  usual  in  counting  engine  efficiency 
to  count  the  amount  of  energy  delivered  to  the 
belt,  or  to  the  driving  shaft,  and  because  of  the 
f  rictional  resistance  of  the  pistons  working  in  the 
cylinder,  there  is  always  found  a  little  discrepancy 
between  the  energy  represented  by  the  cooling 
of  the  steam  in  the  cylinder  and  the  energy  de- 
livered to  the  belt,  or  the  driving  shaft. 

It  is  quite  surprising  how  much  energy  a 
small  amount  of  heat  represents  if  it  could  all  be 
converted  into  the  obvious  forms  of  energy. 
Owing  to  the  great  waste  suffered  in  all  modern 
machinery,  heat  represents  much  more  energy 
than  is  ordinarily  supposed,  in  the  absence  of  ex- 
act knowledge.  One  would  hardly  think  it  pos- 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  263 

sible  that  the  amount  of  heat  that  will  raise  the 
temperature  of  one  pound  (almost  exactly  one 
pint)  of  water,  one  single  degree  (Fahrenheit)  is 
the  equivalent  of  energy  required  to  elevate  one 
pound  seven  hundred  seventy-eight  feet  high 
against  the  force  of  gravity.  Yet,  such  is  the 
case.  This  was  one  of  the  demonstrations  of  the 
immortal  Joule.  It  was  he  who  enabled  us  to 
cross  the  bridge  with  calculations  from  mechan- 
ical force  and  motion  to  heat.  He  stated  the 
equivalent  to  be  seven  hundred  seventy-two  feet, 
but  more  delicate  instruments  than  could  be  had 
in  his  day  have  shown  a  slight  discrepancy  in  his 
calculations,  and  it  is  now  known  to  be  almost 
exactly  seven  hundred  seventy-eight  feet.  Thus, 
if  the  Falls  of  Niagara  be  considered  as  being  one 
hundred  sixty  feet  high,  the  energy  developed  by 
the  descent  is  only  the  equivalent  of  the  heat  nec- 
essary to  raise  the  temperature  of  the  water  about 
one-fifth  of  one  degree.  A  modern  railroad  loco- 
motive does  well  to  realize  to  the  driving  rod  two 
per  cent  of  the  total  energy  developed  in  the  fuel 
box.  An  ordinary  thrasher  engine  realizes  no 
more  than  one  per  cent.  The  very  best  steam  en- 
gines known  in  large  stationary  plants  do  not 
realize  as  much  as  fifteen  per. cent. 

The  amount  of  heat  necessary  to  raise  the 
temperature  of  one  pound  of  water  one  degree  is 
taken  as  a  standard  for  heat  measurement,  and  is 


264  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

known  as  a  British  Thermal  Unit — nearly  always 
in  scientific  works  abbreviated  to  B.  T.  U.  The 
common  standard  of  energy  is  the  amount  of  en- 
ergy or  work  necessary  to  elevate  one  pound  one 
foot  against  the  force  of  gravity.  This  in  scien- 
tific works  is  usually  referred  to  as  the  foot- 
pound. 

From  what  is  said  above  it  is  manifest  that 
one  B.  T.  U.  is  the  equivalent  of  seven  hundred 
seventy-eight  foot-pounds,  and  vice  versa. 

The  amount  of  energy  must  not  be  confused 
with  the  rate  of  expending  energy,  or  doing  work. 
The  horse-power  is  the  common  measurement  of 
the  rate  of  delivery  of  energy  or  of  doing  work 
and  is  equivalent  to  33,000  foot-pounds  per 
minute.  It  is  what  one  horse  can  do,  and  con- 
tinue doing  several  hours  with  reasonable  ease. 
For  a  short  time  a  horse  can  exert  several  horse- 
power. 

Remember,  and  remember  always  that  heat 
and  electricity  are  just  as  much  forms  of  energy 
as  the  motion  of  concrete  objects. 

We  have  introduced  the  above  statement  of 
equivalents  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  us  to  pre- 
sent a  few  fundamental  facts  more  clearly  than 
could  otherwise  be  done. 

Everyone  knows  that  if  paddles  be  revolved 
rapidly  in  a  vessel  containing  a  liquid,  such  as  a 
churn,  or  the  like,  the  liquid  will  offer  consider- 
able resistance  to  their  motion,  the  amount  of 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  265 

resistance  depending  upon  the  nature  of  the 
liquid,  and  the  rapidity  of  the  motion. 

Our  scientific  instruments  have  determined 
the  fact  to  be  that  the  B.  T.  U.  developed  in  the 
liquid  and  on  the  paddles  is  the  exact  equivalent 
to  the  foot-pounds  of  energy  required  to  drive  the 
paddles,  i.  e.,  the  number  of  B.  T,  U.  is  778  times 
the  number  of  foot-pounds. 

An  engine  is  run  with  steam — the  engine 
drives  an  electric  generator.  Electricity  is  de- 
veloped. This  electricity  is  conducted  over  a  wire 
to  a  motor.  It  is  always  found  that  not  as  much 
energy  can  be  derived  from  the  motor  as  is  sup- 
plied from  the  generator  to  the  wire.  Where  is 
the  loss  ? 

It  is  found  that  the  loss  is  in  the  resistance 
of  the  wire  to  the  current,  and  that  the  wire  is 
warmed — possibly  not  sufficient  to  be  perceptible 
to  the  ordinary  sense  of  touch,  and,  yet,  it  is 
warmed  to  some  extent,  and  the  B.  T.  U.,  devel- 
oped in,  and  radiated  away  by  the  wire,  amounts 
precisely  and  exactly  to  the  difference  in  foot- 
pounds between  the  energy  supplied  to  the  wire  at 
one  end  of  the  wire,  and  the  energy  supplied  by 
the  wire  at  its  other  end. 

Capillary  Attraction  is  one  form  of  motion 
by  which  liquids  are  elevated  and  carried  con- 
siderable distance.  The  moisture  is  taken  from 
the  earth  and  carried  up  the  trunks  of  trees,  and 


266  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

out  through  their  limbs  to  their  leaves.  This  can- 
not be  done  without  force  and  energy,  but  where 
is  the  heat?  It  has  been  determined  and  proven 
that  there  is  an  expenditure  of  heat  in  doing  that 
work,  and  that.the  expenditure  of  heat  is  precisely 
equivalent  to  the  work  done.  It  is  hardly  be- 
lievable that  there  is  a  loss  of  heat  by  coal  oil  or 
water,  or  other  liquid  performing  the  work  of 
ascending  the  wick,  and  yet,  science  has  deter- 
mined that  that  work  is  only  done  at  the  expense 
of  that  other  form  of  energy — heat. 

If  an  object  falls  a  distance  of  twenty  feet, 
and  it  strikes  one  end  of  a  lever  having  two  arms 
of  equal  length,  and  at  the  other  end  of  the  lever 
there  be  a  ball  of  equal  weight,  the  other  ball  will 
be  thrown  upward  twenty  feet,  less  an  allowance 
for  the  resistance  of  the  air  in  the  descent  and 
ascent,  and  for  the  frictional  resistance  of  the 
motion  of  the  lever.  It  would  throw  a  ball  of 
twice  the  weight  half  the  height  by  adjusting  the 
levers  properly.  Or,  it  would  throw  a  ball  of 
one-third  the  weight  three  times  as  high,  and 
soon. 

A  ball  rolling  down  an  inclined  plane  is  found 
to  have  a  velocity,  and  consequently  a  striking 
force,  and  an  energy  equal  to  that  acquired  in 
falling  the  vertical  distance  of  its  descent,  due 
allowance  being  made  for  the  resistance  offered 
to  its  rolling  motion.  It  makes  no  difference 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  267 

whether  the  incline  be  great  or  small,  the  velocity, 
the  energy  are  the  same  as  though  it  had  fallen 
perpendicularly  through  the  same  vertical  dis- 
tance. 

Instances  and  illustrations  can  be  multiplied 
indefinitely.  Millions  of  tests  have  been  made 
by  scientific  men,  and  the  basic  fact  of  Conserva- 
tion of  Energy  is  found  true  everywhere.  That 
fact  is  that  energy  cannot  be  created.  So  much 
as  is  given  is  returned  in  some  other  form,  or  else 
in  the  form  of  heat,  but  in  some  form,  precisely 
the  equivalent  is  always  found  to  exist. 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  experiments  is 
with  the  pendulum.  Imagine  a  nail  or  peg  driven 
into  a  wall  and  projecting  out — say  six  inches 
from  the  wall.  Hang  a  pendulum  four  feet  long 
— let  the  pendulum  swing  parallel  to  the  wall  in 
the  annexed  figure.  Let  "A"  represent  the 
point  from  which  the  pendulum  is  suspended. 
Draw  the  pendulum  back  to  C,  and  release 
it.  Its  lowest  descent  in  the  swing  will  be 
at  B.  It  will  swing  to  D,  and  a  line  connecting 
D  &  C  is  exactly  horizontal,  showing  that  the 
energy  represented  by  the  motion  of  the  pendu- 
lum at  B  was  sufficient  to  elevate  it  to  the  point 
D.  Now,  on  a  line  on  the  wall  downward 
from  where  the  nail  or  peg  is  driven  into  the 
wall,  let  there  be  made  holes  into  which  a  nail  or 
peg  can  be  inserted,  and  suppose  a  peg  be  driven 


268 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


at  the  point  F.  If  now  pendulum  be  released  at 
C,  it  will  be  found  that  when  the  cord  strikes  F 
the  pendulum  will  swing  to  the  point  J,  which  is 
on  the  horizontal  line  D  C.  It  makes  no  differ- 
ence where  the  interrupting  peg  or  nail  be  placed, 
the  pendulum  will  rise  to  the  same  horizontal 
form  which  it  was  released.  It  is  said  that  this 


was  one  of  Gallileo's  experiments.  If  so,  it  is  an- 
other example  of  the  masterly  force  and  original- 
ity of  his  genius,  and  shows  that  he  subconscious- 
ly had  some  appreciation  of  the  basic  facts  of  the 
now  accepted  doctrine  of  Conservation  of  Energy. 
We  believe  it  is  useless  to  multiply  instances 
further,  to  illustrate  the  doctrine  of  Conservation 
of  Energy,  and  show  the  character  of  proof  upon 
which  it  rests.  There  is  no  fact  in  nature,  but 
what  in  the  hands  of  modern  science  appears  to 
conform  to  this  doctrine.  A  few  years  ago  when 
radio-active  properties  were  first  discovered  it 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  269 

was  thought  that  it  was  an  exception,  but  even 
that  has  been  found  to  conform  to  this  wonderful 
generalized  doctrine. 

If  the  doctrine  of  Conservation  of  Energy 
be  true  about  which  there  seems  to  be  no  doubt, 
then  all  hopes  of  ever  attaining  Perpetual  Motion 
must  cease,  for  the  idea  of  Perpetual  Motion  is 
predicated  and  has  its  foundation  upon  the  crea- 
tion of  energy.  The  mechanism  must  give  more 
energy  than  is  imparted  to  it.  It  must  make 
energy,  and  this  in  the  light  of  the  generalized 
truth  of  Conservation  of  Energy  is  an  impossibil- 
ity. We  might  as  well  talk  about  making  sub- 
stance, and  the  creation  of  substance,  or  the  crea- 
tion of  energy  either  one  is  not  an  attribute  of 
man.  It  is  an  attribute  to  be  accredited  only  to 
the  infinite,  and  can  not  be  conceived  as  an  attri- 
bute of  the  finite. 


CHAPTER  XII 
Will  Perpetual  Motion  Ever  Be  Accomplished? 

The  antiquity  of  the  problem  of  Perpetual 
Motion,  and  the  countless  attempts  by  clever  and 
ingenious  minds  to  accomplish  its  solution,  and 
the  uniform  failure  of  such  attempts  is  no  proof 
at  all,  scientifically  speaking,  that  Perpetual  Mo- 
tion is  an  impossibility.  If  there  be  scientific 
proof  that  Perpetual  Motion  is  unattainable,  that 
proof  must  be  found  elsewhere  than  in  the  num- 
ber of  attempts  and  the  universality  of  failures, 
or  in  the  number  or  eminence  of  the  people  who 
believe  it  to  be  impossible. 

Dircks  in  his  work  printed  in  1861,  being 
"A  History  of  the  Search  for  Self-Motive  Power, 
During  the  17th  18th  and  19th  Centuries,"  says 
on  the  subject : 

"The  subject  of  Perpetual  Motion  opposes 
paradox  to  paradox.  It  is  viewed  both  as  being 
most  simple  and  most  difficult  to  find.  The  learned 
justify  both  its  possibility  and  impossibility. 
Many  mechanics  believe  it  possible  *  *  * 
Its  pursuit  always  commences  in  confidence,  only 
to  end  in  doubt.  *  *  * 

We  think  a  careful  perusal  of  all  that  has 
been  gathered  respecting  Perpetual  Motion  clear- 
ly establishes  that  much  remains  to  be  done  to 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  271 

prove  the  impossibility  of  practically  solving  this 
knotty  problem ;  and  that  a  full  demonstration  of 
the  difficulties  that  environ  it  is  worthy  of  being 
attempted,  even  by  the  most  exalted  mathe- 
maticians. It  is  not  requisite  that  they  should 
descend  to  the  level  of  the  most  ordinary  minds, 
but  leave  it  for  others  to  reduce  their  elaborated 
reasonings  on  the  subject  to  some  generally  com- 
prehensible form.  We  fear  the  proposal  partakes 
too  much  of  the  difficulty  of  proving  a  negative ; 
but  still,  as  the  attempt  has  been  made  by  cele- 
brated savants,  and  is  generally  considered  insuffi- 
cient ;  and  as  data  may  have  been  wanting,  which 
we  conceive  a  collection  of  the  chief  known  ex- 
amples will  supply ;  we  recommend  the  considera- 
tion of  this  matter  to  all  geometers.*  *  * 

In  a  mathematical  point  of  view,  we  think 
this  subject  is  far  from  being  exhausted;  and, 
after  what  has  been  advanced,  may  very  properly 
be  considered  as  claiming  grave  considerations. 
And  that,  scientifically  examined,  it  is  a  mark  of 
mere  shallowness  and  querulousness  to  attempt 
the  substitution  of  ridicule  and  satire  for  the 
more  difficult,  but  consistent  course  of  sound, 
close  reason  and  argument,  such  as  the  wonted 
sobriety  and  severity  of  scientific  criticism  ac- 
cords to  its  investigations  generally." 

At  the  time  of  the  publication  of  Dircks's 
work  from  which  the  above  quotation  is  taken 


273  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

(1861),  the  doctrine  of  Conservation  of  Energy 
had  not  been  announced  and  accepted  as  an  es- 
tablished generalization  of  a  scientific  fact,  and 
it  is  apparent  was  not  understood  by  him. 
Dircks's  statement  "as  data  may  have  been  want- 
ing, which  we  conceive  a  collection  of  the  chief 
known  examples  will  supply,"  shows  that  he  mis- 
conceived the  nature  of  the  problem  of  proving 
the  impossibility  of  Perpetual  Motion.  If,  how- 
ever, the  principle  of  Conservation  of  Energy  is 
a  true  scientific  fact,  the  impossibility  of  self- 
motive  power  follows  as  an  inevitable  scientific 
corollary,  and  the  ignis  fatuus  hope  of  attaining 
Perpetual  Motion  which  has  deluded  so  many 
bright  minds  is  forever  destroyed  and  demolished. 

A  perusal  of  the  arguments  against  Per- 
petual Motion  made  by  thinking  men  with  scien- 
tific minds  even  though  long  before  the  thorough 
establishment  of  the  doctrine  of  transmutation 
and  Conservation  of  Energy,  discloses  the  fact 
that  those  arguments  in  fact  depend  finally  on 
the  principle  now  known  and  designated  Conser- 
vation of  Energy. 

It  is  amusing  to  note  in  reading  the  argu- 
ments on  the  subject  by  our  greatest  philosophers, 
Newton,  Gallileo,  Huyghens,  and  Descartes,  that 
while  they  lived  and  labored  long  before  Conser- 
vation of  Energy  in  its  generalized  form  was 
known,  or  announced,  they  seemed  to  have  a  per- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  273 

ception  that  energy  could  not  be  created;  that 
energy  must  produce  an  effect  commensurate 
with  its  own  activity ;  that  the  existence  of  energy 
in  one  body  is  proof  positive  that  some  agency 
furnished  and  lost  an  exact  equivalent  of  that 
energy.  In  other  words,  these  men  in  reasoning 
on  specific  problems  presented  to  them,  and  on 
the  problem  of  Perpetual  Motion  in  particular, 
appear  to  have  appreciated  and  applied  in  their 
reasonings,  the  principle  of  Conservation  of 
Energy. 

Men  who  have  worked  at  the  problem  of 
Perpetual  Motion  before  the  establishment  of  the 
doctrine  of  Conservation  of  Energy,  and  men 
who  still  work  at  the  problem,  who,  through  lack 
of  opportunity  have  not  become  familiar  with 
that  doctrine,  are  not  to  be  blamed  or  thought 
stupid  because  of  that  folly,  but  those  who  know- 
ing that  principle,  or  being  in  a  situation  to  know 
it,  must  be  mechanically  and  mathematically 
stupid  not  to  realize  that  Perpetual  Motion  and 
Conservation  of  Energy  are  irreconcilable,  and 
that  both  cannot  be  possibilities.  In  this  day  when 
the  principle  of  Conservation  of  Energy  is  taught 
in  the  High  Schools  of  the  United  States,  and  in 
every  other  civilized  country  in  the  world,  it  is 
not  surprising  that  fewer  people  work  on  Per- 
petual Motion  than  formerly,  and  that  public  in- 


274  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

terest  in  the  subject  is  waning,  as  waning  it 
surely  is. 

A  generation  ago,  however,  this  principle 
was  not  known  and  taught,  and  the  state  of  the 
world's  learning  was  at  such  a  stage  that  many 
even  scientific  minds  thought  Perpetual  Motion 
possible,  and  worked  for  its  attainment. 

The  principle  of  Conservation  of  Energy  as 
applied  to  all  Perpetual  Motion  devices  can  be 
stated  as  follows:  There  can  be  no  mechanical 
effect  without  an  equal  mechanical  cause.  Energy 
— i.  e.,  the  capacity  to  do  work,  can  only  be  im- 
parted by  an  equal  amount  of  work  done.  It 
therefore  follows  axiomatically  that  Perpetual 
Motion  is  possible  only  if  and  when  a  machine  be 
produced  that  runs  absolutely  without  friction 
and  absolutely  without  atmospheric  resistance, 
or  the  resistance  of  bending  of  cords,  or  other  like 
mechanical  resistance.  If  there  be  such  resist- 
ance, then  the  energy  imparted  to  the  machine 
will  be  diminished  by  that  resistance,  with  the  re- 
sult that  the  machine  can  only  yield  the  amount  of 
energy  imparted,  less  the  energy  required  to 
overcome  such  resistance.  That  no  machine  can 
be  built  free  of  such  resistance  is  patent  to  even 
a  tyro  in  mechanics. 

It  will  be  interesting  here,  and  perhaps  more 
interesting  than  useful,  to  add  some  of  the  argu- 
ments quoted  by  Dircks  and  reproduced  in  his 


PERPETUAL    MOTION  275 

work  for  and  against  the  possibility  of  Perpetual 
Motion.  They  have  little  scientific  value  at  this 
time,  as  they  were  all  made  by  men  who  were 
unfamiliar  with  the  decisive  principle  of  Conser- 
vation of  Energy.  Nevertheless,  for  their  his- 
torical interest  we  offer  a  few: 

The  Possibility  of  Perpetual  Motion  Denied 
Remarks  of  Dr.  Papin  on  a  French  Contrivance 

In  1665,  Dr.  Papin,  Fellow  of  the  Royal  So- 
ciety, brought  before  the  Royal  Society  of  Lon- 
don, a  paper  concerning  a  French  contrivance  for 
Perpetual  Motion.  The  following  excerpt  will 
illustrate  and  explain  the  contrivance : 

The  paper  printed  in  French,  and  containing 
contrivance  for  perpetual  motion,  being  set  down 
in  such  a  manner  that  can  hardly  be  understood 
but  by  those  that  are  much  acquainted  with  such 
descriptions,  I  have  endeavored  to  explain  it  as 
follows : 

Let  D  E  F  be  a  pair  of  bellows  forty  inches 
long,  that  may  be  opened  by  removing  the  part  F 
from  E ;  let  them  be  exactly  shut  everywhere  but 
at  the  aperture  E ;  and  let  a  pipe  E  G,  twenty  or 
twenty-two  inches  long,  be  soldered  to  the  said 
aperture  E,  having  its  other  end  in  a  vessel  G, 
full  of  mercury,  and  placed  near  the  middle  of 
the  bellows. 

A  is  an  axis  for  the  bellows  to  turn  upon. 

B,  a  counterpoise  fastened  to  the  lower  end 
of  the  bellows. 


276 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


C,  a  weight  with  a  clasp 
to  keep  the  bellows  upright. 

Now,  if  we  suppose  the 
bellows  opened  only  to  one- 
third  or  one-fourth,  standing- 
upright,  and  full  of  mercury,  it 
is  plain  that  the  said  mercury, 
being  forty  inches  high,  must 
fall,  as  in  the  Torricellian  ex- 
periment, to  the  height  of 
about  twenty-seven  inches, 
and,  consequently,  the  bellows 
must  open  towards  F,  and 
leave  a  vacuity  there.  This 
vacuity  must  be  filled  with  the 
mercury  ascending  from  G 
through  the  pipe  G  E,  the  said 
pipe  being  but  twenty-two 
inches  long;  by  this  means  the 
bellows  must  be  opened  more  and  more,  till  the 
mercury  continuing  to  ascend  makes  the  upper 
part  of  the  bellows  so  heavy  that  the  lower  part 
must  get  loose  from  the  clasp  C,  and  the  bellows 
should  turn  quite  upside  down ;  but  the  vessel  G 
being  set  in  a  convenient  place,  keeps  them  hori- 
zontal, and  the  part  F  engageth  there  in  another 
clasp  C ;  then  the  mercury,  by  its  weight,  runs  out 
from  the  bellows  into  the  vessel  G  through  the 
pipe  E  G,  and  the  bellows  must  shut  closer  and 
closer  until  the  part  E  F  comes  to  be  so  light  that 
the  counterpoise  B  is  able  to  make  the  part  F  get 
loose  from  the  clasp  C ;  then  the  bellows  come  to 
be  upright  again;  the  mercury  left  in  them  falls 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


277 


again  to  the  height  of  twenty-seven  inches,  and, 
consequently,  all  the  other  effects  will  follow  as 
we  have  already  seen,  and  the  motion  will  con- 
tinue forever.  Thus  much  for  the  French  author. 
Upon  this  it  is  to  be  observed,  that  the  bel- 
lows can  never  be  opened  by  the  internal  pressure, 
unless  the  said  pressure  be  stronger  then  the  ex- 
ternal ;  now,  in  this  case,  the  weight  of  the  atmos- 


phere doth  freely  press  up  the  outward  part  of 
the  bellows,  but  it  cannot  come  at  the  inward  part 
but  through  the  pipe  G  E,  which,  containing 
twenty-two  perpendicular  inches  of  mercury,  does 
counterpoise  so  much  of  the  weight  of  the  atmos- 
phere, so  that  this  being  supposed  to  be  twenty- 
seven  inches  of  mercury,  it  cannot  press  the  in- 
ward part  of  the  bellows  but  with  weight 
equivalent  to  five  perpendicular  inches  of  mer- 
cury. From  this  we  may  conclude,  that  the  pres- 
sure of  the  atmosphere,  being  weakened  within 
the  bellows  more  then  it  can  be  helped  by  the 
mercury  contained  in  the  same,  as  may  easily  be 
computed,  the  said  bellows  standing  upright  must 
rather  shut  then  open.  Thus,  without  losing  any 
labor  and  charges  in  trying,  people  may  be  sure 
that  the  thing  can  never  do. 


278  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

Two  "Certain"  Plans  for  (Not)  Producing  Per- 
petual Motion 

In  1834,  the  following  article  was  Contributed 
to  "Mechanics'  Magazine."  The  contributor  was 
very  frank,  and  presents  some  splendid  sugges- 
tions for  Perpetual  Motion  workers.  His  article 
is  as  follows : 

Very  few  young  mechanicians  escape  being 
seduced  into  an  attempt  to  produce  a  perpetual 
movement,  by  making  gravitation  counteract  it- 
self. They  are  not  contented  with  being  told  by 
older  men,  that  a  cause  can  never  be  made  to  ex- 
ceed its  own  power ;  yet  gravitation  is  expected  by 
them  to  lift  up  on  one  side  more  weight  than  sinks 
on  the  other,  with  some  percentage  of  friction 
into  the  bargain.  Nature,  however,  is  too  true 
to  itself  to  be  so  taken  in  by  all  or  any  of  the 
multitudes  of  various  ways  the  inventive  genius 
of  man  has  contrived,  and  still  keeps  contriving, 
to  circumvent  her  immutable  laws,  with  no  other 
effect  than  to  render  the  case  so  complicated  as  to 
puzzle  the  judgment  of  the  inventors,  which  ends 
usually  in  their  firm  belief  that  they  have  out- 
witted nature  instead  of  themselves.  I  acknowl- 
edge that  in  my  youth  I  was  one  of  this  class,  and, 
for  the  benefit  of  the  young,  I  beg  to  present  you 
with  two  certain  plans  for  producing  perpetual 
motion,  and  compelling  gravity  to  be  frolicsome, 
and  do  more  work  than  she  ought 

Let  A  (Fig.  1)  be  a  cistern  full  of  oil  or 
water,  above  4  feet  deep.  Let  B  be  a  wheel ;  freely 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  279 

suspended  within  it,  on  its  axle,  let  there  be  four 
wide  glass  tubes,  40  inches  long,  c  c  c  c,  having 
large  bulbs,  holding,  say  a  pint,  blown  at  the 
closed  end.  Fill  these  tubes  with  mercury,  fix  on 
an  Indian-rubber  ball  or  bladder,  that  will  hold  a 
pint,  to  each  of  them  at  the  open  end,  and  let  them 
be  attached  round  the  wheel,  as  exhibited  in  the 
figure.  As  the  pressure  of  40  inches  of  mercury 
will  exceed  the  atmospheric  pressure,  and  also 
that  of  the  four-foot  column  of  water,  when  the 
Indian-rubber  bottle  is  lowest,  and  the  tube  erect, 
at  at  D,  the  mercury  will  fill  it,  leaving  a  vacuum 
in  the  glass  bulb  above.  On  the  opposite  side  the 
mercury  will  fill  the  glass  bulb,  and  the  Indian- 
rubber  bottle  will  be  pressed  flat,  as  will  also  be 
the  case  in  the  two  horizontal  tubes.  Now,  it  is 
evident  that  the  two  horizontal  tubes  exactly  bal- 
ance each  other ;  but  the  tube  D,  with  its  bulb 
swelled  out,  displaces  a  pint  of  water  more  than 
its  opposite  tube,  and  hence  will  attempt  to  rise 
with  the  force jof  about  one  pound ;  and  each  tube, 
when  it  arrives  at  the  same  position,  must  produce 
the  same  result,  the  wheel  must  have  a  continual 
power,  equal  to  about  one  pound,  with  a  radius  of 
two  f eet.— Q.  E.  D. 

Let  Fig.  2  represent  a  light  drum  of  wood — 
one-half  of  which  is  inserted  into  a  cleft  in  a 
water-cistern  A,  which  fits  it,  and  from  which  the 
water  is  prevented  from  escaping  by  a  strip  of 
leather,  which  the  water  presses  against  the  drum, 
and  which  thus  operates  as  a  valve,  without  much 
friction  (especially  if  oil  be  substituted  for  water 
in  the  cistern) .  Now,  as  this  drum  is  much  lighter 


280 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


than  water,  it  must  ever  attempt  to  swim,  and 
thus,  in  perpetually  rising,  cause  the  drum  to 
revolve  forcibly  round  its  axle. — Q.  E.  D. 

I  tried  this  last  method  thirty  years  ago,  but 
it  was  so  obstinate  as  not  to  move  one  inch  at  my 
bidding,  though  it  obviously  is  proved,  to  demon- 
stration, that  it  ought  to  have  gone  on  swim- 


mingly.  I  have  just  heard  that  an  Italian  gentle- 
man has  hit  upon  the  same  plan ;  so  it  seems  that 
the  mania  is  not  confined  to  England. 

The  article  above  quoted  elicited  a  varied 
correspondence  on  the  subject  of  self -motive 
power.  The  editor  finally  made«the  following  apt 
and  happy  remark  concerning  the  two  "Certain" 
plans : 

We  think  our  correspondent,  S.  F.,  has  en- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  281 

tirely  misconceived  the  scope  of  the  playful  ac- 
count, given  in  our  last  number,  of  two  plans  of 
perpetual  motion.  The  object  of  the  writer  seems 
to  have  been,  to  impress  on  the  minds  of  young 
mechanicians  the  folly  of  wasting  their  time  in 
vain  endeavors  to  render  the  effects  of  causes 
greater  than  the  causes  themselves;  or,  in  other 
words,  to  gain  power  out  of  nothing — a  process 
without  limit  or  value,  were  it  not  cut  short  by 
the  want  of  all  limit  to  its  folly ;  and  this  he  could 
not,  perhaps,  have  done  in  any  way  so  well,  as  by 
exhibiting  a  couple  of  infallible  perpetual  movers 
that  would  not  stir  at  all,  though  they  bade  as  fair 
for  it  as  any  of  their  kindred. 

Article  by  Rev.  John  Wilkins 

Rev.  John  Wilkins  of  England,  born  1614; 
died  1672,  published  a  work  called  "Mathematical 
Magic,"  in  which  he  discoursed  scientifically  and 
technically  on  efforts  that  had  been  made  up  to 
that  time  to  attain  Perpetual  Motion.  His  work 
shows  great  scholarship,  diligent  search,  and  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  mathematics  and  me- 
chanics. Considering  the  state  of  scientific  knowl- 
edge at  the  time  when  he  lived  and  worked,  his 
insight  into  scientific  subjects  is  truly  remarkable. 

Considering  the  state  of  scientific  learning 
in  his  day,  his  observations  on  the  subject  of  Per- 
petual Motion  show  him  to  have  possessed  really 
a  great  scientific  and  analytical  mind.  Of  all 
those  who  wrote  or  thought  extensively  on  the 


282  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

subject  in  that  century  we  regard  what  he  had  to 
say  as  being  the  most  worthy  of  reproduction. 
The  following  excerpt  from  "Mathematical 
Magic,"  will  give  the  reader  an  idea  of  his  course 
of  reasoning  and  conclusions  on  the  subject  of 
self-motive  power: 

CHAP.  IX.— Of  a  Perpetual  Motion— The 
seeming  facility  and  real  difficulty  of  any 
such  contrivance — The  several  ways  where- 
by it  hath  been  attempted,  particularly  by 
Chemistry. 

It  is  the  chief  inconvenience  of  all  the  auto- 
mata before-mentioned,  that  they  need  a  fre- 
quent repair  of  new  strength,  the  causes  whence 
their  motion  does  proceed  being  subject  to  fail, 
and  come  to  a  period ;  and,  therefore,  it  would  be 
worth  our  enquiry  to  examine  whether  or  no 
there  may  be  made  any  such  artificial  contrivance, 
which  might  have  the  principle  of  moving  from 
itself  so  that  the  present  motion  should  constantly 
be  the  cause  of  that  which  succeeds. 

This  is  that  great  secret  in  art  which,  like  the 
Philosopher's  Stone  in  Nature,  has  been  the  busi- 
ness and  study  of  many  more  refined  wits  for 
divers  ages  together;  and  it  may  well  be  ques- 
tioned whether  either  of  them  as  yet  have  ever 
been  found  out ;  though  if  this  have,  yet  like  the 
other,  it  is  not  plainly  treated  of  by  any  author. 
Not  but  there  are  sundry  discourses  con- 
cerning this  subject,  but  they  are  rather  conjec- 
tures than  experiments.  And  though  many  in- 
ventions in  this  kind  may  at  first  view  bear  a 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  283 

great  show  of  probability,  yet  they  will  fail,  being 
brought  to  trial,  and  will  not  answer  in  practice 
what  they  promised  in  speculation.  Any  one  who 
has  been  versed  in  these  experiments  must  needs 
acknowledge  that  he  has  been  often  deceived  in 
his  strongest  confidence;  when  the  imagination 
has  contrived  the  whole  frame  of  such  an  instru- 
ment, and  conceives  that  the  event  must  infallibly 
answer  its  hopes,  yet  then  does  it  strangely  de- 
ceive in  the  proof  and  discovers  to  us  some  defect 
which  we  did  not  before  take  notice  of. 

Hence  it  is  that  you  shall  scarce  talk  with 
any  one  who  has  never  so  little  smattering  in 
these  arts,  but  he  will  instantly  promise  such  a 
motion  as  being  but  an  easy  achievement,  till 
further  trial  and  experience  has  taught  him  the 
difficulty  of  it.  There  being  no  enquiry  that  does 
more  entice  with  the  probability  and  deceive  with 
the  subtilty. 

I  shall  briefly  recite  the  several  ways  whereby 
this  has  been  attempted,  or  seems  most  likely  to 
be  effected,  thereby  to  contract  and  facilitate  the 
enquiries  of  those  who  are  addicted  to  these  kind 
of  experiments ;  for  when  they  know  the  defects 
of  other  inventions,  they  may  the  more  easily 
avoid  the  same  or  the  like  in  their  own. 

The  ways  whereby  this  has  been  attempted 
may  be  generally  reduced  to  these  three  kinds : 

1.  By  Chemical  Extractions. 

2.  By  Magnetical  Virtues. 

3.  By  the  Natural  Affection  of  Gravity. 
1 .     The  discovery  of  this  has  been  attempted 

by  chemistry.     Paracelsus  and  his  followers  have 


284  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

bragged  that  by  their  separations  and  extractions 
they  can  make  a  little  world  which  shall  have  the 
same  perpetual  motions  with  this  microcosm,  with 
the  representation  of  all  meteors,  thunder,  snow, 
rain,  the  courses  of  the  sea  in  its  ebbs  and  flows, 
and  the  like.  But  these  miraculous  promises 
would  require  as  great  a  faith  to  believe  them  as 
a  power  to  perform  them ;  and  though  they  often 
talk  of  such  great  matters : 

At  nusquam  totos  inter  qui  talia  curant, 
Apparet  ullus,  qui  re  miracula  tanta 
Comprobet — 

yet  we  can  never  see  them  confirmed  by  any  real 
experiment;  and  then,  besides,  every  particular 
author  in  that  art  has  such  a  distinct  language  of 
his  own  (all  of  them  being  so  full  of  allegories 
and  affected  obscurities),  that  'tis  very  hard  for 
any  one  (unless  he  be  thoroughly  versed  amongst 
them)  to  find  out  what  they  mean,  much  more 
to  try  it. 

One  of  these  ways  (as  I  find  it  set  down)  is 
this :  Mix  five  ounces  of  $  with  an  equal  weight 
of  V]  grind  them  together  with  ten  ounces  of 
sublimate;  dissolve  them  in  a  cellar  upon  some 
marble  for  the  space  of  four  days,  till  they  become 
like  oil  olive ;  distil  this  with  fire  of  chaff,  or  driv- 
ing fire,  and  it  will  sublime  into  a  dry  substance ; 
and  so,  by  repeating  of  these  dissolvings  and  dis- 
tillings,  there  will  be  at  length  produced  divers 
small  atoms,  which,  being  put  into  a  glass  well 
luted  and  kept  dry,  will  have  a  perpetual  motion. 
I  cannot  say  anything  from  experience 
against  this;  but  I  think  it  does  not  seem  very 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  285 

probable,  because  things  that  are  forced  up  to 
such  vigorousness  and  activity  as  these  ingre- 
dients seem  to  be  by  their  frequent  sublimings 
and  distillings,  are  not  likely  to  be  of  any  dura- 
tion. The  more  any  thing  is  stretched  beyond 
its  usual  nature,  the  less  does  it  last ;  violence  and 
perpetuity  being  no  companions.  And  then,  be- 
sides, suppose  it  is  true,  yet  such  a  motion  could 
not  well  be  applied  to  any  use,  which  will  needs 
take  much  from  the  delight  of  it. 

Amongst  the  chemical  experiments  to  this 
purpose  may  be  reckoned  up  that  famous  motion 
invented  by  Cornelius  Dreble,  and  made  for  King 
James ;  wherein  was  represented  the  constant  rev- 
olutions of  the  sun  and  moon,  and  that  without 
the  help  either  of  springs  or  weights.  Marcellus 
Vranckhein,  speaking  of  the  means  whereby  it 
was  performed,  he  calls  it  Scintillula  animae  mag- 
net icae  mundi,  seu  astralis  et  insensibilis  spirit  us; 
being  that  grand  secret  for  the  discovery  of 
which  those  dictators  of  philosophy,  Democritus, 
Pythagoras,  Plato,  did  travel  unto  the  Gym- 
nosophists  and  Indian  Priests.  The  author  him- 
self, in  his  discourse  upon  it,  does  not  at  all  reveal 
the  way  how  it  was  performed.  But  there  is  one 
Thomas  Tymme  who  was  a  familiar  acquaintance 
of  his,  and  did  often  pry  into  his  works  (as  he 
professes  himself) ,  who  affirms  it  to  be  done  thus : 
By  extracting  a  fiery  spirit  out  of  the  mineral 
matter,  joining  the  same  with  his  proper  air, 
which  included  in  the  axletree  (of  the  first 
moving  wheel),  being  hollow,  carried  the  other 
wheels,  making  a  continual  rotation,  except  issue 


286  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

or  vent  be  given  in  this  hollow  axletree,  whereby 
the  imprisoned  spirit  may  get  forth. 

What  strange  things  may  be  done  by  such 
'extractions  I  know  not,  and,  therefore,  dare  not 
condemn  this  relation  as  impossible;  but  I  think 
it  sounds  rather  like  a  chemical  dream  than  a  phil- 
osophical truth.  It  seems  this  imprisoned  spirit 
is  now  set  at  liberty,  or  else  is  grown  weary,  for 
the  instrument  (as  I  have  heard)  has  stood  still 
for  many  years.  It  is  here  considerable  that  any 
force  is  weakest  near  the  center  of  a  wheel ;  and 
therefore,  though  such  a  spirit  might  of  itself 
have  an  agitation,  yet  'tis  not  easily  conceivable 
how  it  should  have  strength  enough  to  carry  the 
wheels  about  with  it.  And  then,  the  absurdity  of 
the  author's  citing  this,  would  make  one  mistrust 
his  mistake.  He  urges  it  as  a  strong  argument 
against  Copernicus ;  as  if,  because  Dreble  did  thus 
contrive  in  an  engine  the  revolution  of  the 
heavens  and  the  immovableness  of  the  earth, 
therefore  it  must  needs  follow  that  'tis  the 
heavens  which  are  moved,  and  not  the  earth.  If 
his  relation  were  no  truer  than  his  consequence, 
it  had  not  been  worth  the  citing. 

CHAP.  XIII. — Concerning  several  attempts  of 
contriving  a  Perpetual  Motion,  by  Magnet- 
ical  Virtues. 

The  second  way  whereby  the  making  of  a 
perpetual  motion  has  been  attempted,  is  by  Mag- 
netical  Virtues,  which  are  not  without  some 
strong  probabilities  of  proving  effectual  to  this 
purpose;  especially  when  we  consider  that  the 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  287 

heavenly  revolutions  (being  as  the  first  pattern 
imitated  and  aimed  at  in  these  attempts)  are  all 
of  them  performed  by  the  help  of  these  qualities. 
This  great  orb  of  earth,  and  all  the  other  planets, 
being  but  as  so  many  magnetical  globes,  endowed 
with  such  various  and  continual  motions  as  may 
be  most  agreeable  to  the  purposes  for  which  they 
were  intended.  And,  therefore,  most  of  the  au- 
thors who  treat  concerning  this  invention,  do 
agree  that  the  likeliest  way  to  effect  it,  is  by  these 
kind  of  qualities. 

It  was  the  opinion  of  Pet.  Peregrinus,  and 
there  is  an  example  pretended  for  it  in  Bettinus 
(apiar.  9,  progym.  5,  pro.  11)  that  a  magnetical 
globe,  or  terella,  being  rightly  placed  upon  its 
poles,  would  of  itself  have  a  constant  rotation, 
like  the  diurnal  motion  of  the  earth.  But  this  is 
commonly  exploded  as  being  against  all  experi- 
ence. 

Others  think  it  possible  so  to  contrive  several 
pieces  of  steel  and  loadstone  that,  by  their  con- 
tinual attraction  and  expulsion  of  one  another, 
they  may  cause  a  perpetual  revolution  of  a  wheel. 
Of  this  opinion  were  Taisner,  Pet.  Peregrinus, 
and  Cardan,  out  of  Antonius  de  Fantis.  But  D. 
Gilbert,  who  was  more  especially  versed  in  mag- 
netical experiments,  concludes  it  to  be  a  vain  and 
groundless  fancy. 

But  amongst  all  these  kinds  of  inventions, 
that  is  most  likely,  wherein  a  loadstone  is  so  dis- 
posed that  it  shall  draw  unto  it  on  a  reclined  plane 
a  bullet  of  steel,  which  steel,  as  it  ascends  near  to 
the  loadstone,  may  be  contrived  to  fall  down 


288 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


through  some  hole  in  the  plane,  and  so  to  return 
unto  the  place  from  whence  at  first  it  began  to 
move;  and,  being  there,  the  loadstone  will  again 
attract  it  upwards  till  coming  to  this  hole,  it  will 
fall  down  again  ;  and  so  the  motion  shall  be  per- 
petual, as  may  be  more  easily  conceivable  by  this 
figure  : 


Suppose  the  loadstone  to  be  represented  at 
A  B,  which,  though  it  have  not  strength  enough 
to  attract  the  bullet  C  directly  from  the  ground, 
yet  may  do  it  by  the  help  of  the  plane  E  F.  Now, 
when  the  bullet  is  come  to  the  top  of  this  plane, 
its  own  gravity  (which  is  supposed  to  exceed  the 
strength  of  the  loadstone)  will  make  it  fall  into 
that  hole  at  E;  and  the  force  it  receives  in  this 
fall  will  carry  it  with  such  a  violence  unto  the 
other  end  of  this  arch,  that  it  will  open  the  passage 
which  is  there  made  for  it,  and  by  its  return  will 
again  shut  it;  so  that  the  bullet  (as  at  the  first) 
is  in  the  same  place  whence  it  was  attraced,  and, 
consequently,  must  move  perpetually. 

But,  however,  this  invention  may  seem  to  be 
of  such  strong  probability,  yet  there  are  sundry 
particulars  which  may  prove  it  insufficient ;  for — 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  289 

1.  This  bullet  of  steel  must  first  be  touched, 
and  have  its  several  poles,  or  else  there  can  be 
little  or  no  attraction  of  it.    Suppose  C  in  the  steel 
to  be  answerable  unto  A  in  the  stone,  and  to  B ; 
in  the  attraction  C  D  must  always  be  directed 
answerable  to  A  B',  and  so  the  motion  will  be 
more  difficult ;  by  reason  there  can  be  no  rotation 
or  turning  round  of  the  bullet,  but  it  must  slide  up 
with  the  line  C  D,  answerable  to  the  axis  A  B. 

2.  In  its  fall  from  E  to  G,  which  is  motus 
element  aris,  and  proceeds  from  its  gravity,  there 
must  needs  be  a  rotation  of  it ;  and  so  'tis  odds  but 
it  happens  wrong  in  the  rise,  the  poles  in  the  bullet 
being  not  in  the  same  direction  to  those  in  the 
magnet ;  and  if  in  this  reflux  it  should  so  fall  out, 
that  D  should  be  directed  towards  B,  there  should 
be  rather  a  flight  than  an  attraction,  since  those 
two  ends  do  repel,  and  not  draw  one  another. 

3.  If  the  loadstone   A   B   have   so  much 
strength,  that  it  can  attract  the  bullet  in  F,  when 
it  is  not  turned  round,  but  does  only  slide  upon 
the  plane,  whereas  its  .own  gravity  would  rowl  it 
downwards ;  then  it  is  evident  the  sphere  of  its 
activity  and  strength  would  be  so  increased  when 
it  approaches  much  nearer,  that  it  would  not  need 
the  assistance  of  the  plane,  but  would  draw  it 
immediately  to  itself  without  that  help;  and  so 
the  bullet  would  not  fall  down  through  the  hole, 
but  ascend  to  the  stone,  and,  consequently,  cease 
its  motion :   for,  if  the  loadstone  be  of  force 
enough  to  draw  the  bullet  on  the  plane,  at  the  dis- 
tance F  B,  then  must  the  strength  of  it  be  suffi- 
cient to  attract  it  immediatelv  unto  itself,  when  it 


290  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

is  so  much  nearer  as  E  B.  And  if  the  gravity  of 
the  bullet  be  supposed  so  much  to  exceed  the 
strength  of  the  magnet,  that  it  cannot  draw  it  di- 
rectly when  it  is  so  near,  then  will  it  not  be  able 
to  attract  the  bullet  up  the  plane,  when  it  is  so 
much  further  off. 

So  that  none  of  all  these  magnetical  experi- 
ments, which  have  been  as  yet  discovered,  are 
sufficient  for  the  effecting  of  a  perpetual  motion, 
though  these  kind  of  qualities  seem  most  con- 
ducible  unto  it ;  and  perhaps,  hereafter,  it  may  be 
contrived  from  them. 

CHAP.  XIV.— The  seeming  probability  of  effect- 
ing a  Continual  Motion  by  Solid  Weights  in 
a  Hollow  Wheel  or  Sphere. 

The  third  way  whereby  the  making  of  a  per- 
petual motion  has  been  attempted  is  by  the  Nat- 
ural Affection  of  Gravity ;  when  the  heaviness  of 
several  bodies  is  so  contrived,  that  the  same  mo- 
tion which  they  give  in  their  descent,  may  be  able 
to  carry  them  up  again. 

But  (against  the  possibility  of  any  such  in- 
vention) it  is  thus  objected  by  Cardan: — All  sub- 
lunary bodies  have  a  direct  motion  either  of  as- 
cent or  descent ;  which,  because  it  does  not  refer 
to  some  term,  therefore  cannot  be  perpetual,  but 
must  needs  cease  when  it  is  arrived  at  the  place 
unto  which  it  naturally  tends. 

I  answer,  though  this  may  prove  that  there 
is  no  natural  motion  of  any  particular  heavy  body 
which  is  perpetual,  yet  it  does  not  hinder,  but  that 
it  is  possible  from  them  to  contrive  such  an  arti- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  291 

ficial  revolution  as  shall  constantly  be  the  cause 
of  itself. 

Those  bodies  which  may  be  serviceable  to 
this  purpose  are  distinguishable  into  two  kinds: 

1.  Solid  and  consistent;  as  weights  of  metal, 
or  the  like. 

2.  Fluid  or  sliding;  as  water,  sand,  etc. 
Both  these  ways  have  been  attempted  by 

many,  though  with  very  little  or  no  success. 
Other  men's  conjectures  in  this  kind  you  may  see 
set  down  by  divers  authors.  It  would  be  too 
tedious  to  repeat  them  over,  or  set  forth  their 
draughts. 

I  shall  only  mention  two  new  ones,  which  (if 
I  am  not  over-partial)  seem  altogether  as  prob- 
able as  any  of  these  kinds  that  have  been  yet  in- 
vented; and,  till  experience  had  discovered  their 
defect  and  insufficiency,  I  did  certainly  conclude 
them  to  be  infallible. 

The  first  of  these  contrivances  was  by  solid 
weights  being  placed  in  some  hollow  wheel  or 
sphere,  unto  which  they  should  give  a  perpetual 
revolution;  for,  as  the  philosopher  has  largely 
proved,  only  a  circular  motion  can  properly  be 
perpetual. 

But,  for  the  better  conceiving  of  this  inven- 
tion, it  is  requisite  that  we  rightly  understand 
some  principles  in  Trochilicks,  or  the  art  of  wheel 
instruments ;  as,  chiefly,  the  relation  betwixt  the 
parts  of  a  wheel  and  those  of  a  balance ;  the  sev- 
eral proportions  in  the  semi-diameter  of  a  wheel 
being  answerable  to  the  sides  in  a  balance,  where 


292 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


the  weight  is  multiplied  according  to  its  distance 
from  the  center. 

Thus,  suppose  the  center  to  be  at  A,  and  the 
diameter  of  the  wheel,  D  C,  to  be  divided  into 
equal  parts  (as  is  here  expressed),  it  is  evident, 


according  to  the  former  ground,  that  one  pound 
at  C  will  equiponderate  to  five  pound  at  B,  because 
there  is  such  a  proportion  betwixt  their  several 
distances  from  the  center.  And  it  is  not  material 
whether  or  no  these  several  weights  be  placed 
horizontally ;  for  though  B  do  hang  lower  than  C, 
yet  this  does  not  at  all  concern  the  heaviness ;  or 
though  the  plummet  C  were  placed  much  higher 
than  it  is  at  E,  or  lower  at  F,  yet  would  it  still  re- 
tain the  same  weight  which  it  had  at  C ;  because 
these  plummets  (as  in  the  nature  of  all  heavy 
bodies),  do  tend  downwards  by  a  straight  line; 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  293 

so  that  their  several  gravities  are  to  be  measured 
by  that  part  of  the  horizontal  semi-diameter, 
which  is  directly  either  below  or  above  them. 
Thus,  when  the  plummet  C  shall  be  moved  either 
to  G  or  H,  it  will  lose  one-third  of  its  former 
heaviness,  and  be  equally  ponderous  as  if  it  were 
placed  in  the  balance  at  No  3;  and  if  we  sup- 
pose it  to  be  situated  at  I  or  K,  then  the  weight 
of  it  will  lie  wholly  upon  the  center,  and  not  at  all 
conduce  to  the  motion  of  the  wheel  on  either  side ; 
so  that  the  straight  lines  which  pass  through  the 
divisions  of  the  diameter  may  serve  to  measure 
the  heaviness  of  any  weight  in  its  several  situa- 
tions. 

These  things  thoroughly  considered,  it  seems 
very  possible  and  easy  for  a  man  to  contrive  the 
plummets  of  a  wheel,  that  they  may  be  always 
heavier  in  their  fall,  than  in  their  ascent ;  and  so, 
consequently,  that  they  should  give  a  perpetual 
motion  to  the  wheel  itself;  since  it  is  impossible 
for  that  to  remain  unmoved  as  long  as  one  side  in 
it  is  heavier  than  the  other. 

For  the  performance  of  this,  the  weights 
must  be  so  ordered :  1 .  That  in  their  descent  they 
may  fall  from  the  center,  and  in  their  ascent  may 
rise  nearer  to  it.  2.  That  the  fall  of  each  plum- 
met may  begin  the  motion  of  that  which  should 
succeed  it,  as  in  the  following  diagram : 

Where  there  are  sixteen  plummets,  eight  in 
the  inward  circle,  and  as  many  in  the  outward. 
(The  inequality  being  to  arise  from  their, situa- 
tion, it  is  therefore  most  convenient  that  the  num- 
ber of  them  be  even. )  The  eight  inward  plummets 


294 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


are  supposed  to  be  in  themselves  so  much  heavier 
than  the  other,  that  in  the  wheel  they  may  be  of 
equal  weight  with  those  above  them,  and  then  the 
fall  of  these  will  be  of  sufficient  force  to  bring 
down  the  other.  For  example,  if  the  outward 
be  each  of  them  four  ounces,  then  the  inward 
must  be  five ;  because  the  outward  is  distant  from 


the  center  five  of  those  parts  whereof  the  inward 
is  but  four.  Each  pair  of  these  weights  should 
be  joined  together  by  a  little  string  or  chain, 
which  must  be  fastened  about  the  middle,  betwixt 
the  bullet  and  the  center  of  that  plummet  which  is 
to  fall  first,  and  at  the  top  of  the  other. 

When  these  bullets,  in  their  descent,  are  at 
their  farthest  distance  from  the  center  of  the 
wheel,  then  shall  they  be  stopped,  and  rest  on  the 
pins  placed  to  that  purpose ;  and  so,  in  their  rising, 


.       PERPETUAL  MOTION  295 

there  must  be  other  pins  to  keep  them  in  a  con- 
venient posture  and  distance  from  the  center,  lest, 
approaching  too  near  unto  it,  they  thereby  become 
unfit  to  fall  when  they  shall  come  to  the  top  of  the 
descending  side. 

This  may  be  otherwise  contrived  with  some 
different  circumstances,  but  they  will  all  redound 
to  the  same  effect.  By  such  an  engine  it  seems 
very  probable  that  a  man  may  produce  perpetual 
motion;  the  distance  of  the  plummets  from  the 
center  increasing  with  weight  on  one  side,  and 
their  being  tied  to  one  another,  causing  a  constant 
succession  in  their  falling. 

But  now,  upon  experience,  I  have  found  this 
to  be  fallacious;  and  the  reason  may  sufficiently 
appear  by  a  calculation  of  the  heaviness  of  each 
plummet,  according  to  its  several  situation;  which 
may  easily  be  done  by  those  perpendiculars  that 
cut  the  diameter  (as  was  before  explained,  and  is 
here  expressed  in  five  of  the  plummets  on  the 
descending  side).  From  such  a  calculation  it 
will  be  evident,  that  both  the  sides  of  this  wheel 
will  equiponderate ;  and  so  consequently,  that  the 
supposed  inequality  whence  the  motion  should 
proceed,  is  but  imaginary  and  groundless.  On  the 
descending  side,  the  heaviness  of  each  plummet 
may  be  measured  according  to  these  numbers 
(supposing  the  diameter  of  the  wheel  to  be  di- 
vided into  twenty  parts,  and  each  of  those  sub- 
divided into  four) : 


296 


PERPETUAL   MOTION 


The  Outward  Plummets.  The  Inward  Plummets. 
7.01  1.0 

7  9 

The  sum  19. 


10.0  [The  sum  24. 

7.0 


7.2 

7.2 
3.0 


On  the  ascending  side,  the  weights  are  to  be 
reckoned  according  to  these  degrees : 

The  Outward. 

1.3 

7.2 


9.0 
5.3 
0.0  J 


-The  sum  24. 


The  Inward. 
4.1 

7.0 

5.2 

2.1 


•The  sum  1 9. 


The  sum  of  which  last  numbers  -is  equal  with 
the  former,  and  therefore  both  the  sides  of  such 
a  wheel  in  this  situation  will  equiponderate. 

If  it  be  objected,  that  the  plummet  A  should 
be  contrived  to  pull  down  the  other  at  Bj  and  then 
the  descending  side  will  be  heavier  than  the  other ; 
for  answer  to  this,  it  is  considerable — 

1.  That  these  bullets  towards  the  top  of  the 
wheel,  cannot  descend  till  they  come  to  a  certain 
kind  of  inclination. 

2.  That  any  lower  bullet  hanging  upon  the 
other  above  it,  to  pull  it  down,  must  be  conceived, 
as  if  the  weight  of  it  were  in  that  point  where  its 
string  touches  the  upper ;  at  which  point  this  bullet 
will  be  of  less  heaviness  in  respect  of  the  wheel, 
than  if  it  did  rest  in  its  own  place;  so  that  both 
the  sides  of  it,  in  any  kind  of  situation,  may 
equiponderate. 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  297 

CHAP.  XV. — Of  composing,  a  Perpetual  Motion 
by  Fluid  Weights — Concerning  Archimedes 
his  Water  Screw — The  great  probability  of 
accomplishing  this  enquiry  by  the  help  of 
that,  zvith  the  fallibleness  of  it  upon  experi- 
ment. 

That  which  I  shall  mention  as  the  last  way, 
for  the  trial  of  this  experiment,  is  by  contriving  it 
in  some  Water  Instrument ;  which  may  seem  al- 
together as  probable  and  easy  as  any  of  the  rest ; 
because  that  element,  by  reason  of  its  fluid  and 
subtle  nature  (whereby,  of  its  own  accord,  it 
searches  out  the  lower  and  more  narrow  pass- 
ages), may  be  most  pliable  to  the  mind  of  the  arti- 
ficer. Now,  the  usual  means  for  the  ascent  of 
water  is  either  by  suckers  or  forces,  or  something 
equivalent  thereunto;  neither  of  which  may  be 
conveniently  applied  unto  such  a  work  as  this, 
because  there  is.  required  unto  each  of  them  so 
much  or  more  strength,  as  may  be  answerable  to 
the  full  weight  of  the  water  that  is  to  be  drawn 
up ;  and  then,  besides,  they  move  for  the  most  part 
by  fits  and  snatches,  so  that  it  is  not  easily  con- 
ceivable, how  they  should  conduce  unto  such  a 
motion,  which,  by  reason  of  its  perpetuity,  must 
be  regular  and  equal. 

But,  amongst  all  other  ways  to  this  purpose, 
that  invention  of  Archimedes  is  incomparably  the 
best,  which  is  usually  called  Cochlea,  or  the  Water 
Screw;  being  framed  by  the  helical  revolution  of 
a  cavity  about  a  cylinder.  We  have  not  any  dis- 
course from  the  author  himself  concerning  it, 
nor  is  it  certain  whether  he  ever  writ  anything 


298  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

to  this  purpose;  but  if  he  did,  yet,  as  the  injury  of 
time  hath  deprived  us  of  many  other  of  his  excel- 
lents  works,  so  likewise  of  this  amongst  the  rest. 

[Near  five  pages  are  occupied  in  describing 
the  use  of  this  screw,  and  the  form  and  manner 
of  making  it ;  then  follows :  ] 

The  true  inclination  of  the  screw  being 
found,  together  with  the  certain  quantity  of  water 
which  every  helix  does  contain ;  it  is  further  con- 
siderable, that  the  water  by  this  instrument  does 
ascend  naturally  of  itself,  without  any  violence 
or  labor;  and  that  the  heaviness  of  it  does  lie 
chiefly  upon  the  centers  or  axis  of  the  cylinder, 
both  its  sides  being  of  equal  weight,  (said  Ubal- 
dus)  ;  so  that,  it  should  seem,  though  we  suppose 
each  revolution  to  have  an  equal  quantity  of 
water,  yet  the  screw  will  remain  with  any  part 
upwards,  according  as  it  shall  be  set,  without 
turning  itself  either  way ;  and,  therefore,  the  least 
strength  being  added  to  either  of  its  sides  should 
make  it  descend,  according  to  that  common 
maxim  of  Archimedes — any  addition  will  make 
that  which  equiponderates  with  another  to  tend 
downwards. 

But  now,  because  the  weight  of  this  instru- 
ment and  the  water  in  it  does  lean  wholly  upon  the 
axis,  hence  is  it  (said  Ubaldus)  that  the  grating 
and  rubbing  of  these  axes  against  the  sockets 
wherein  they  are  placed,  will  cause  some  inepti- 
tude and  resistency  to  that  rotation  of  the  cylin- 
der ;  which  would  otherwise  ensue  upon  the  addi- 
tion of  the  least  weight  to  any  one  side ;  but  (said 
the  same  author)  any  power  that  is  greater  than 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  299 

this  resistency  which  does  arise  from  the  axis, 
will  serve  for  the  turning  of  it  round. 

These  things  considered  together,  it  will 
hence  appear  how  a  perpetual  motion  may  seem 
easily  contrivable.  For,  if  there  were  but  such  a 
water-wheel  made  on  this  instrument,  upon  which 
the  stream  that  is  carried  up  may  fall  in  its  de- 
scent, it  would  turn  the  screw  round,  and  by  that 
means  convey  as  much  water  up  as  is  required  to 
move  it;  so  that  the  motion  must  needs  be  con- 
tinual, since  the  same  weight  which  in  its  fall 
does  turn  the  wheel  is,  by  the  turning  of  the  wheel, 
carried  up  again. 

Or,  if  the  water,  falling  upon  one  wheel, 
would  not  be  forcible  enough  for  this  effect,  why 
then  there  might  be  two  or  three,  or  more,  accord- 
ing as  the  length  and  elevation  of  the  instrument 
will  admit ;  by  which  means  the  weight  of  it  may 
be  so  multiplied  in  the  fall  that  it  shall  be  equiva- 
lent to  twice  or  thrice  that  quantity  of  water 
which  ascends ;  as  may  be  more  plainly  discerned 
by  the  following  diagram: 

Where  the  figure  L  M,  at  the  bottom,  does 
represent  a  wooden  cylinder  with  helical  cavities 
cut  in  it,  which  at  A  B  is  supposed  to  be  covered 
over  with  tin  plates,  and  three  water-wheels  upon 
it,  H  I  K;  the  lower  cistern,  which  contains  the 
water,  being  C  D.  Now,  this  cylinder  being 
turned  round,  all  the  water  which  from  the  cistern 
ascends  through  it,  will  fall  into  the  vessel  at  E, 
and  from  that  vessel  being  conveyed  upon  the 
water-wheel  H,  shall  consequently  give  a  circular 
motion  to  the  whole  screw.  Or,  if  this  alone 


300 


PERPETUAL   MOTION 


should  be  too  weak  for  the  turning  of  it,  then  the 
same  water  which  falls  from  the  wheel  H,  being 
received  into  the  other  vessel  F,  may  from  thence 
again  descend  on  the  wheel  I,  by  which  means  the 
force  of  it  will  be  doubled.  And  if  this  be  yet  un- 


sufficient,  then  may  the  water  which  falls  on  the 
second  wheel  I,  be  received  into  the  other  vessel 
G,  and  from  thence  again  descend  on  the  third 
wheel  at  K;  and  so  for  as  many  other  wheels  as 
the  instrument  is  capable  of.  So  that,  besides  the. 
greater  distance  of  these  three  streams  from  the 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  3d 

center  or  axis  by  which  they  are  made*  so  much 
heavier,  and  besides  that  the  fall  of  this  outward 
water  is  forcible  and  violent,  whereas  the  ascent 
of  that  within  is  natural — besides  all  this,  there 
is  thrice  as  much  water  to  turn  the  screw  as  is 
carried  up  by  it. 

But,  on  the  other  side,  if  all  the  water  falling 
upon  one  wheel  would  be  able  to  turn  it  round, 
then  half  of  it  would  serve  with  two  wheels,  and 
the  rest  may  be  so  disposed  of  in  the  fall  as  to 
serve  unto  some  other  useful  delightful  ends. 

When  I  first  thought  of  this  invention,  I 
could  scarce  forbear,  with  Archimedes,  to  cry  out 
ev^Ka,  tvprjKa.;  it  seeming  so  infallible  a  way 
for  the  effecting  of  a  perpetual  motion  that  noth- 
ing could  be  so  much  as  probably  objected  against 
it;  but,  upon  trial  and  experience,  I  find  it  alto- 
gether insufficient  for  any  such  purpose,  and  that 
for  these  two  reasons : 

1.  The  water  that  ascends  will  not  make  any. 
considerable"  stream  in  the  fall. 

2.  This  stream,  though  multiplied,  will  not 
be  of  force  enough  to  turn  about  the  screw. 

1.  The  water  ascends  gently,  and  by  inter- 
missions ;  but  it  falls  continually,  and  with  force ; 
each  of  the  three  vessels  being  supposed  full  at 
the  first,  that  so  the  weight  of  the  water  in  them 
might  add  the  greater  strength  and  swiftness  to 
the  streams  that  descend  from  them.  Now,  this 
swiftness  of  motion  will  cause  so  great  a  differ- 
ence betwixt  them  that  one  of  these  little  streams 
may  spend  more  water  in  the  fall  than  a  stream 
six  times  bigger  in  the  ascent,  though  we  should 


302  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

suppose  both  of  them  to  be  continuate ;  how  much 
more,  then,  when  as  the  ascending  water  is  vented 
by  fits  and  intermissions,  every  circumvolution 
voiding  so  much  as  is  contained  in  one  helix ;  and, 
in  this  particular,  one  that  is  not  versed  in  these 
kind  of  experiments  may  be  easily  deceived. 

But,  secondly,  though  there  were  so  great  a 
disproportion,  yet,  notwithstanding,  the  force  of 
these  outward  streams  might  well  enough  serve 
for  the  turning  of  the  screw,  if  it  were  so  that 
both  its  sides  would  equiponderate  the  water  being 
in  them  (as  Ubaldus  had  affirmed ).  But  now, 
upon  farther  examination,  we  shall  find  this  as- 
sertion of  his  to  be  utterly  against  both  reason 
and  experience.  And  herein  does  consist  the  chief 
mistake  of  this  contrivance;  for  the  ascending 
side  of  the  screw  is  made,  by  the  water  contained 
in  it,  so  much  heavier  than  the  descending  side, 
that  these  outward  streams,  thus  applied,  will  not 
be  of  force  enough  to  make  them  equiponderate, 
much*  less  to  move  the  whole,  as  may  be  more 
easily  discerned  by  this  figure : 

Where  A  B  represents  a  screw  covered  over, 
C  D  E  one  helix  or  revolution  of  it,  C  D  the  as- 
cending side,  E  D  the  descending  side,  the  point  D 
the  middle ;  the  horizontal  line  C  F  showing  how 
much  of  the  helix  is  filled  with  water,  viz.,  of  the 
ascending  side,  from  C  the  beginning  of  the  helix, 
to  D  the  middle  of  it;  and  on  the  descending  side, 
from  D  the  middle,  to  the  point  G,  where  the 
horizontal  does  cut  the  helix.  Now,  it  is  evident 
that  this  latter  part,  D  G,  is  nothing  near  so  much, 
and  consequently  not  so  heavy  as  the  other,  D  C ; 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  303 

and  thus  is  it  in  all  the  other  revolutions,  which, 
as  they  are  either  more  or  larger,  so  will  the  diffi- 
culty of  this  motion  be  increased.  Whence  it  will 
appear  that  the  outward  streams  which  descend 
must  be  of  so  much  force  as  to  countervail  all  that 
weight  whereby  the  ascending  side  in  every  one 
of  these  revolutions  does  exceed  the  other.  And 
though  this  may  be  effected  by  making  the  water- 
wheels  larger,  yet  then  the  motion  will  be  so  slow 
that  the  screw  will  not  be  able  to  supply  the  out- 
ward streams. 

There  is  another  contrivance  to  this  purpose, 
mentioned  by  Kircher  de  Magnete,  1,  2,  p.  4,  de- 


pending upon  the  heat  of  the  sun  and  the  force  of 
winds ;  but  it  is  liable  to  such  abundance  of  excep- 
tions that  it  is  scarce  worth  the  mentioning,  and 
does  by  no  means  deserve  the  confidence  of  any 
ingenious  artist. 

Thus  have  I  briefly  explained  the  probabili- 
ties and  defects  of  those  subtle  contrivances 
whereby  the  making  of  a  perpetual  motion  has 
been  attempted.  I  would  be  loath  to  discourage 
the  enquiry  of  any  ingenious  artificer  by  denying 
the  possibility  of  effecting  it  with  any  of  these 


304  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

mechanical  helps;  but  yet  (I  conceive)  if  those 
principles  which  concern  the  slowness  of  the 
power  in  comparison  to  the  greatness  of  the 
weight  were  rightly  understood  and  thoroughly 
considered,  they  would  make  this  experiment  to 
seem,  if  not  altogether  impossible,  yet  much  more 
difficult  than  otherwise,  perhaps,  it  will  appear. 
However,  the  inquiring  after  it  cannot  but  de- 
serve our  endeavors,  as  being  one  of  the  most 
noble  amongst  all  these  mechanical  subtilties. 
And,  as  it  is  in  the  fable  of  him  who  dug  the  vine- 
yard for  a  hidden  treasure,  though  he  did  not 
find  the  money,  yet  he  thereby  made  the  ground 
more  fruitful,  so,  though  we  do  not  attain  to  the 
effecting  of  this  particular,  yet  our  searching 
after  it  may  discover  so  many  other  excellent  sub- 
tilties as  shall  abundantly  recompense  the  labor  of 
our  inquiry. 

And  then,  besides,  it  may  be  another  en- 
couragement to  consider  the  pleasure  of  such 
speculations,  which  do  ravish  and  sublime  the 
thoughts  with  more  clear  angelical  contentments. 
Archimedes  was  generally  so  taken  up  in  the  de- 
light of  these  mathematical  studies  of  this  fa- 
miliar siren  (as  Plutarch  styles  them)  that  he 
forgot  both  his  meat  and  drink,  and  other  neces- 
sities of  nature ;  nay,  that  he  neglected  the  saving 
of  his  life,  when  that  rude  soldier,  in  the  pride  and 
haste  of  victory,  would  not  give  him  leisure  to  fin- 
ish his  demonstration.  What  a  ravishment  was 
that,  when,  having  found  out  the  way  to  measure 
Hiero's  crown,  he  leaped  out  of  the  bath,  and  (as 
if  he  were  suddenly  possessed)  ran  naked  up  and 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  305 


down,  crying  ev^/ca,  evp^a/  It  is  storied  of 
Thales  that,  in  his  joy  and  gratitude  for  one  of 
these  mathematical  inventions,  he  went  presently 
to  the  Temple,  and  there  offered  up  a  solemn 
sacrifice  ;  and  Pythagoras,  upon  the  like  occasion, 
is  related  to  have  sacrificed  a  hundred  oxen  ;  the 
justice  of  Providence  having  so  contrived  it,  that 
the  pleasure  which  there  is  in  the  success  of  such 
inventions  should  be  proportioned  to  the  great 
difficulty  and  labor  of  their  inquiry. 

The  Paradoxical  Hydrostatic  Balance 

The  following  was  contributed  to  an  English 
scientific  journal  in  1831,  the  name  of  the  author 


of  the  article  is  unknown  to  us,  but  here  is  what 
he  wrote : 

This  hydrostatic  balance,  like  the  compound 
balance  of  Desaguliers,  may  be  introduced  to  il- 
lustrate the  impossibility  of  perpetual  motion  by 
a  weight  removed  from  the  centre  of  a  wheel. 

Take  the  hollow-rimmed  wheel  A  B;  let  it 
be  air-tight  and  half  filled  with  water.  Let  C  be 


306  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

the  axle ;  at  B  place  a  hollow  ball  loaded  to  near 
sinking.  Such  a  wheel,  however  fine  its  axle  may 
be,  or  however  well  lubricated,  will  not  make  a 
single  revolution,  though  the  weight  B  occupies 
that  part  at  which  every  deluded  perpetual-mo- 
tionist  is  desirous  it  should  be  placed ;  concluding 
that,  by  such  an  arrangement,  the  production  of 
another  Orffyrean  wheel  must  be  inevitable. 

Discussion  by  P.  Gregorio  Fontana 

P.  Gregorio  Fontana  was  professor  of  higher 
mathematics  at  the  Royal  University  of  Pavia, 
in  the  Province  of  Lombardy,  Italy.  In  1786  he 
published  what  he  designated  "Examination  of  a 
New  Argument  in  Favor  of  Perpetual  Motion." 
In  part  he  says : 

1.  A  vertical  wheel  (Fig.  2)  divided  in  two 
halves  by  a  vertical  plane  which  passes  through 
its  diameter  F  O,  has  the  half  F  P  O  immersed  in 
water  under  the  level  M  N,  and  the  other  half 
wholly  out  of  the  water,  being  cut  off  in  F  O  by  a 
peculiar  mechanism  from  all  communication  with 
the  reservoir,  the  exterior  half  of  the  wheel  being 
F  Q  O ;  this  turns  freely  round  on  an  axle  passing 
through  the  centre  C.  Now  the  wheel  being  spe- 
cifically lighter  than  the  water,  the  immersed  part 
F  P  O  comes  with  a  continual  rotation  to  the  top 
with  a  force  equal  to  the  excess  of  the  weight  of 
a  volume  of  water  corresponding  to  the  immersed 
portion,  over  the  weight  of  the  immersed  portion ; 
which  rotation  passing  through  the  centre  of 
gravity  of  the  exterior  part,  and  consequently 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


307 


out  of  the  centre  C,  obliges  the  wheel  to  turn 
around  C. 

Such  being  the  case,  the  question  to  be  asked 
is  whether  the  wheel  has  itself  a  perpetual  motion, 
as  may  be  judged  at  first  sight. 

2.  To  reply  adequately,  it  is  at  first  necessary 
to  know  what  effect  is  produced  on  the  wheel  by 


FIG.  2. 


FIC.   3. 


the  horizontal  pressure  which  the  water  exercises 
on  the  semi-circumference  FLO. 

Having  taken  for  this  purpose,  a  part  P  p, 
and  having  drawn  to  the  diameter  the  ordinate 
P.  R,  p  r,  and  marked  the  radius  P  C,  and  from  it 
P  G  perpendicular  to  the  radius  C  L,  which  de- 
termines the  quadrant  O  L,  the  distance  of  the 
lowest  point  O  from  the  level  of  the  water  will  be 
=  b,  the  semi-diameter  of  the  wheel  =  a,  C  R  = 
x,  and  the  specific  gravity  of  the  water  =  1 ;  the 
perpendicular  pressure  against  the  part  P  p  = 
P  p  .  R  D,  which  resolved  in  two,  one  horizontal 


308  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

P  R,  the  other  vertical  P  G,  gives  the  proportion 

P  p  .  P  R  .  R  D 


PG  :PR  ::P/>.RD  : 


PG 
Thence  the  horizontal  pressure  against  P  p, 

P  />.PR.RD. 

and  — ,  that  is  to  say  P  p  .  P  R 

PG 

=  R  r .  P  G,  the  given  horizontal  pressure  is  found 
to  be  =  R  r.R  D  =  (b  —  x)  d  x,  and  which, 
multiplied  by  R  D,  giving  b  —  x,  becomes  the 
momentum  of  the  pressure  relatively  to  M  N  = 
(b  —  x)2  d  x,  and  the  sum  of  the  momenta  of 
pressure  exercised  upon  the  indefinite  arc,  O  P 

1 

=  f  (b  —  xydx  = (b  —  *)*  +  the  side. 

3 

And  since  acting  together  such  momenta  equal  x, 

1 

there  comes  the  side  =  —  bs ;  and  as  the  already- 

3 

1 
given  sum  of  the  momenta  =  —  (b3  —  (b  —  ^r)3) 

3 
1 

=  b2  x  —  b  x?  H ^r3.    Whence,  taking  x  =  2  a, 

3 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  309 

the  sum  of  all  the  momenta  of  the  horizontal 
pressure  exercised  on  the  whole  semi-circumfer- 
ence O  L  F  of  the  wheel,  will  be  =  2  b2  a  —  4  &  a2 

8 
H a3,  and  dividing  that  sum  by  the  whole  lion- 

3 
zontal  pressure,  that  is  to  say  by  /  (&  —  .r)  d  x  = 

1  1 

—  (&2  —  (b  —  A-)2)  =bx x*  =  2ba  —  2 

2  2 

a2,  gives  x  =  2  a,  we  have  the  formula 

8  4 

2  b2  —  4  b  a  H a3       fr2  —  2  &  a.  +  —  a2 

3  3 


2b 

a  —  2  a2 

b  —  d 

1 

2 

(b 

-ay  + 

—  a2 

—  a2 

3 

3 

(&  —  a)  6  —  a 

which  represents  the  distance  of  the  level  M  N 
from  the  result  of  all  the  horizontal  pressure 
against  the  circumference,  which  distance  exceeds 
D  C,  and  consequently  the  direction  of  the  result 
passes  from  below  the  centre  C  of  the  wheel  to  a 


310  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

I 
—  0? 

3 

distance  from  the  said  centre,  which  is  = . 

b  —  a 

If  this  distance  be  multiplied  by  the  result  of 
all  the  horizontal  pressure,  that  is,  by  2  a.  (b  — 

2 
a) ;  there  is  obtained  —  a3  for  the  momentum  of 

3 

the  force  which  tends  to  make  the  wheel  revolve 
from  L  towards  O.  This  being  established,  it  is 
known  that  the  force  which  causes  the  half  of  the 
wheel  F  L  G  to  revolve  vertically  to  the  top  (call- 
ing g  the  specific  gravity  of  the  wheel)  is  =  (1 
—  g)  F  C  O  L,  and  which  force  passes  through 
the  center  of  gravity  of  F  L  O.  And  conse- 
quently the  gravity  of  any  circular  segment 
divided  by  the  half  of  the  radius,  is  distant  from 
the  centre  of  the  circle  by  a  quantity  equal  to  the 
twelfth  of  the  cube  of  the  chord  divided  by  the 
segment;  and  therefore  the  centre  of  gravity  of 
the  semicircle  F  C  O  L,  will  be  distant  from  the 

1  2 

—  8  a3  —  a3 
12  3 

centre  C  by  the  quantity 


ECOL        ECOL 

Consequently  the  momentum  of  this  force  tending 
to  make  the  wheel  revolve  from  O  towards  L  will 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  311 

2 


—  a3 


3  2 

.(1—  g) 


ECOL  3 

But  moreover  a  certain  momentum  will  be 
derived  from  the  other  half  F  Q  O  of  the  wheel, 
which  being  out  of  the  water,  tends  by  its  own 
weight  downwards  with  a  force  =  g  .  E  C  O  Q  = 
g.E  C  O  L,  which  multiplied  by  the  distance 


ECOL  °^  ^e  centre  °f  grayity  of  the  semi- 

circle F  Q  O  from  the  centre  of  the  wheel  gives 
as  a  momentum  of  force  tending  to  turn  the  wheel 

2 

from  O  to  L  the  quantity  -~-  g  a8.   Thus  the  whole 

momentum  to  make  the  wheel  turn  from  O  to  L, 

2  22 

will  be-~-  (1  —  g)  a8,  +  ~=-g  a8=-y  a8,  that  is 

to  say  the  same  that  is  found  to  turn  the  wheel  in 
the  opposite  direction,  viz.,  from  L  to  O,  and 
thence  the  wheel  remains  perfectly  motionless. 

3.  Cor.  I.  If  the  wheel  were  specifically 
heavier  than  the  water,  one  would  not  be  able  to 
conceive  in  that  case  any  motion  from  L  to  O,  as 
seemed  probable  in  the  former  supposition.  Since, 
then,  the  momentum  of  the  force,  which  turns 
vertically  downwards  the  portion  of  the  wheel 
F  C  O  L,  and  tends  to  make  it  revolve  from  L  to 


312  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

2 

O  is  =-T-  (g  —  1 )  a3  to  which  momentum  should 
o 

be  added  a  certain  portion  of  the  horizontal  pres- 

2 
sure,  that  is  to  say  -~-,  and  thus  is  obtained  the 

o 
2 
whole  momentum  -~-  g  a*,  tending  to  cause  the 

wheel  to  turn  from  L  to  O ;  and  to  which  momen- 
tum precisely,  is  equal  such  of  the  weight  of  the 
half  F  C  O  Q  as  tends  to  give  to  the  wheel  a  con- 
trary revolution,  that  is,  from  O  to  L. 

3.  Cor.  II.  If  the  wheel  in  place  of  being  a 
circular  plane  were  a  zone  bounded  by  two  con- 
centric peripheries  (Fig.  3),  then  from  the  sum 
of  the  horizontal  pressure  of  the  water  against 
the  exterior  periphery  should  be  taken  the  sum 
of  the  opposite  horizontal  pressure  against  the 
other  interior  semi-periphery  of  the  zone.  So 
calling  a  the  greater  radius  of  the  zone,  and  A  its 
breadth,  the  sum  of  the  first  horizontal  pressure 
is  =  2  a  (b  —  a)  and  the  sum  of  the  second  —  2 
(a  — A)  (b  —  \)  —  (a  —  A)  =2  (a  — A)  (b  — 
a).  Then  subtract  the  latter  from  the  former 
and  there  remains  2  (b  — a)  A  for  the  sum  of  the 
whole  pressure,  which  acts  upon  the  zone  (sic)  of 
the  half  of  the  wheel  immersed  in  the  fluid  in  a 
direction  tending  from  the  outside  to  the  interior 
of  the  wheel. 

Moreover  the  sum  of  the  momenta  of  all  the 
horizontal  pressure  on  the  exterior  circumference 
relatively  to  the  level 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  313 

8 
3 

And  similarly  the  sum  of  the  momenta  of 
the  horizontal  pressure  opposite,  on  the  interior 
semi-circumference,  relatively  to  the  given  level  is 
=  2  (b  —  A)2— (a  —  A)— 4  (b  —  A)  X  (a  — 


Subtracting  this  sum  from  the  preceding, 
there  remains  the  sum  of  the  momenta  acting  on 
the  zone  of  the  half-wheel  from  the  exterior  to 

the   interior  =  2  b2  a  —  4  b  a2  +-f-  a3  —  2  (6  — 

o 

A)*(0  —  A)  +4(6  —  A)  (a  —  A)°_.(a  —  A)3 


-  a)  —fca  +  2  a2—  a  A  -f-JL    X»V=fr2A 

(b  —  a)    (b  —  a)  +  a2—  a  A  -f  J.  x2  ^  Then 

dividing  this  sum  of  the  momenta  by  the  sum  of 
the  pressure  there  will  be 

(b  —  a)  (b  —  a)  +  a2—  a^+\^ 
' 


a2- 


a 


the  distance  of  the 


314  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

center  of  the  pressure  from  the  level  of  the  fluid, 
that  is,  to  the  distance  of  the  result  of  all  the 
pressure  from  that  level.  From  this  it  is  evident 
that  the  center  of  pressure  falls  under  the  center 

1 
a2—  a  A +-3* 

of  the  wheel,  C,  to  the  distance r 

o  —  a 

Whence  multiplying  this  distance  by  the  result 
of  the  pressure,  or  by  2^(b  —  a),  we  obtain 

2  A  /  a2 —  a  A  -f-  —  A2  j  to  express  the  momentum 

of  the  horizontal  pressure  of  the  water,  directed 
to  make  the  wheel  turn  from  L  to  O. 

Now  the  momentum  with  which  the  vertical 
impulse  of  the  fluid  tends  to  make  the  semi-circle 
F  C  O  L  turn  from  O  to  L  (supposing  the  wheel 
not  with  a  simple  zone,  but  with  a  circular  plane) 

2 

is  =  -~-  a3.  Likewise  the  momentum  of  the  im- 
pulse of  the  fluid  to  cause  the  internal  semi-circle 
VCIG  from  O  to  L  is—  ~  (a  —  A)3.  Then 

o 

taking  this  second  momentum  from  the  first,  the 
momentum  of  the  zone  from  the  fluid  V  G I  O 
L  F  to  give  the  wheel  an  impulse  from  O  to  L  will 

be  =  J-(a3— (a  — A)3)=2A(a2— aA+y 

which  is  precisely  the  momentum  with  which  the 
horizontal  pressure  of  the  fluid  to  impress  on  the 
wheel  an  impulse  in  the  opposite  direction,  that  is 
to  say  from  L  to  O.  Consequently  from  the  pres- 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  315 

sure  of  the  fluid  the  wheel  cannot  have  any  motion 
around  its  center. 

The  weight  of  the  wheel  itself,  by  which  the 
half-zone  immersed  in  the  water  tends  to  make 
the  wheel  turn  from  L  to  O,  and  the  half  which 
is  out  of  the  water,  to  make  it  turn  in  the  reverse 
direction,  such  a  weight,  I  say,  cannot  induce  any 
motion  of  rotation,  and  both  halves  remain  in 
equilibrium  around  the  center  C. 

Article  by  William  Nicholson 

William  Nicholson  was  born  in  London  in 
1753;  died  in  1815.  He  was  a  scientist  of  note, 
and  a  writer  of  scientific  subjects.  In  1797  he 
established  in  London  and  continued  publishing 
until  1814,  a  periodical  entitled  "Journal  of  Nat- 
ural Philosophy,  Chemistry  and  the  Arts," 
known,  however,  throughout  the  civilized  world 
as  "Nicholson's  Journal." 

A  Perpetual  Motion  device  of  Dr.  Conradus 
Schwiers,  in  1790,  and  the  Richard  Varley  device, 
in  1797,  described  at  page  132  et  seq.,  ante,  had 
attracted  a  great  deal  of  attention,  and  were  the 
occasion  of  much  discussion.  A  consequent  in- 
creased interest  in  the  subject  of  self-moving 
mechanism  was  thus  created. 

Mr.  Nicholson,  whose  scientific  attainments 
were  recognized  by  all,  was  asked  to  publish  an 
article  on  the  subject.  His  article  appeared  in 


.,,G  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

his  publication,  "Nicholson's  Journal,"  and  is  as 
follows : 

On  the  Mechanical  Projects  -for  Affording  a 
Perpetual  Motion 

In  consequence  of  the  notice  taken  of  Mr. 
Varley's  attempt  to  produce  a  perpetual  motion, 
I  have  been  requested  by  several  correspondents 
to  state  how  far  the  mechanical  scheme  for  which 
Dr.  Conrad  Schwiers  took  out  a  patent  in  the 
year  1790,  for  the  same  object  may  be  worthy  of 
attention.  I  have,  on  that  occasion,  mentioned 
the  difficulties  which  have  prevented  any  clear 
general  demonstration  of  the  absurdity  of  this 
pursuit  from  being  produced,  though  it  has  not 
been  difficult  to  show  the  fallacy  of  the  individual 
plans.  It  does  not,  indeed,  seem  easy  to  enunciate 
the  scheme  itself.  What  in  universal  terms  is  the 
thing  proposed  to  be  done  ?  Is  it  to  cause  a  body 
to  act  in  such  a  manner  that  the  reaction  shall  be 
greater  than  the  action  itself,  and  by  that  means 
generate  force  by  the  accumulation  of  the  sur- 
plus? Or,  can  the  motion  communicated  be 
greater  than  that  lost  by  the  agent  ?  Since  these 
positions  are  evidently  contrary  to  the  physical 
axioms  called  the  laws  of  nature,  and  frictions 
and  resistances  would  speedily  destroy  all  motions 
of  simple  uniformity,  it  may  be  presumed  that 
's  Gravesande,  who  thought  that  all  the  demon- 
strations of  the  absurdity  of  schemes  for  perpet- 
ual motion  contained  paralogism,  would  have 
stated  the  proposition  under  different  terms. 
But  without  entering  upon  this  apparently  un- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  317 

profitable  disquisition,  it  may  be  useful,  as  well 
as  entertaining,  to  make  a  few  observations  on 
the  mechanical  contrivances  which  depend  on  a 
mistaken  deduction  from  the  general  theorem  re- 
specting the  balance,  among  which  that  of  Dr. 
Schwiers  must  be  classed. 

There  is  no  doubt  but  numerous  arrange- 
ments have  been  made,  and  still  are  labored  at  by 
various  individuals,  to  produce  a  machine  which 
shall  possess  the  power  of  moving  itself  perpet- 
ually, notwithstanding  the  inevitable  loss  by  fric- 
tion and  resistance  of  the  air.  Little,  however, 
of  these  abortive  exertions  has  been  entered  upon 
record.  The  plans  of  Bishop  Wilkins,  the  Mar- 
quis of  Worcester,  and  M.  Orffyreus,  are  all 
which  at  this  time  occur  to  my  recollection. 

There  is  no  doubt  but  the  celebrated  Wilkins 
was  a  man  of  learning  and  ability.  His  essay 
towards  a  real  character  and  a  philosophical  lan- 
guage is  sufficient  to  render  his  name  immortal. 
Twenty  years  before  the  appearance  of  that  work 
he  published  his  "Mathematical  Magic,"  namely, 
in  the  year  1648,  containing  295  pages,  small 
octavo,  which,  from  the  number  of  copies  still  in 
being,  I  suppose  to  have  been  a  very  popular 
treatise.  It  is  in  this  work  that  I  find,  among 
other  contrivances  for  the  same  purpose,  a  wheel 
carrying  sixteen  loaded  arms,  similar  to  that  de- 
lineated in  Fig.  4,  plate  15,  in  which,  however, 
for  the  sake  of  simplicity,  I  have  drawn  but  six. 
Each  lever,  A  B  C  D  E  F,  is  movable  through  an 
angle  of  45  degrees,  by  a  joint  near  the  circum- 
ference of  the  wheel,  and  the  inner  end  or  tail  of 


318 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


each  is  confined  by  two  studs  or  pins,  so  that  it 
must  either  lie  in  the  direction  of  a  radius,  or  else 
in  the  required  position  of  obliquity.  If  the 
wheel  be  now  supposed  to  move  in  the  direction 
EF,  it  is  evident  that  the  levers  AB-CD,  by 
hanging  in  the  oblique  position  against  the  ante- 
cedent pins,  will  describe  a  less  circle  in  their 
ascent  than  when,  on  the  other  side,  they  come 
to  descend  in  the  positions  E  F.  Hence,  it  was 

(.Pig.  4,  pi  15.) 


B 


expected  that  the  descending  weights,  having  the 
advantage  of  a  longer  lever,  would  always  pre- 
dominate. Dr.  Wilkins,  by  referring  the  weights 
to  an  horizontal  diameter,  has  shown  that  in  his 
machine  they  will  not.  A  popular  notion  of  this 
result  may  also  be  gathered  from  the  figure, 
where  there  are  three  weights  on  the  ascending 
and  only  two  on  the  descending  side ;  the  obliquity 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  319 

of  position  giving  an  advantage  in  point  of  num- 
ber, equal  to  what  the  other  side  may  possess  in 
intensity.  Or,  if  this  contrivance  were  to  be 
strictly  examined,  on  the  supposition  that  the 
levers  and  weights  were  indefinitely  numerous, 
the  question  would  be  determined  by  showing  that 
the  circular  arcs  A  K,  H  I,  are  in  equilibrio  with 
the  arcs  A  G,  G  L. 

The  simplest  method  of  examining  any 
scheme  of  this  kind  with  weights,  consists  in  in- 
quiring whether  the  perpendicular  ascents  and 
descents  would  be  performed  with  equal  masses 
in  equal  times.  If  so,  there  will  be  no  preponder- 
ance, and,  consequently,  no  motion.  This  is 
clearly  the  case  with  the  contrivance  before  us. 

The  Marquis  of  Worcester,  who  will  ever  be 
remembered  as  the  inventor  of  the  steam  engine, 
has  described  a  perpetual  motion  in  the  fifty-sixth 
number  of  his  "Century  of  Inventions,"  published 
in  the  year  1655,  and  since  reprinted  in  1767  by 
the  Foulis's  at  Glasgow.  His  words  were  as  fol- 
lows: 

'To  provide  and  make,  that  all  the  weights  of 
the  descending  side  of  a  wheel  shall  be  perpetually 
further  from  the  center  than  those  of  the  mount- 
ing side,  and  yet_equal  in  number  and  heft  to  the 
one  side  as  the  other.  A  most  incredible  thing 
if  not  seen,  but  tried  before  the  late  King  (of 
blessed  memory)  in  the  Tower  by  my  directions, 
two  extraordinary  ambassadors  accompanying 
his  Majesty,  and  the  Duke  of  Richmond  and  Duke 
Hamilton,  with  most  of  the  Court  attending  him. 
The  wheel  was  fourteen  feet  over,  and  forty 


320  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

weights  of  fifty  pounds  apiece.  Sir  William  Bal- 
four,  then  Lieutenant  of  the  Tower,  can  justify 
it  with  several  others.  They  all  saw  that  no 
sooner  these  great  weights  passed  the  diameter 
line  of  the  lower  side,  but  they  hung  a  foot  further 
from  the  center ;  nor  no  sooner  passed  the  diam- 
eter line  of  the  upper  side,  but  they  hung  a  foot 
nearer.  Be  pleased  to  judge  the  consequence." 

Desaguliers,  in  his  "Course  of  Experimental 
Philosophy,"  Vol.  I,  page  185,  has  quoted  this 
passage,  and  given  a  sketch  of  a  pretended  self- 
moving  wheel,  similar  to  Fig.  5,  plate  15,  as  re- 
sembling the  contrivance  mentioned  by  the  Mar- 
quis of  Worcester.  The  description  of  this  last 
engineer  agrees,  however,  somewhat  better  with 
the  contrivance  Fig.  4.  It  must,  of  course,  be  a 
mistake  in  terms,  when  he  says  the  weight  re- 
ceded from  the  center  at  the  lower  diameter  and 
approached  towards  it  at  the  upper :  the  contrary 
being,  in  fact,  necessary  to  afford  any  hope  of 
success ;  and  accordingly  in  the  quotation  it  is  so 
stated.  I  am,  therefore,  disposed  to  think  that 
Fig.  5  represents  the  wheel  of  Orffyreus  at  Hesse 
Cassel,  much  talked  of  about  the  year  1720,  and 
which  probably  was  made  to  revolve,  during  the 
time  of  exhibition,  by  some  concealed  apparatus. 
It  consists  of  a  number  of  cells  or  partitions,  dis- 
tinguished by  the  letters  of  the  alphabet,  which 
are  made  between  the  interior  and  exterior  sur- 
faces of  two  concentric  cylinders.  The  parti- 
tions being  placed  obliquely  with  respect  to  the 
radius,  a  cylindrical  or  spherical  weight  placed  on 
each,  it  is  seen  from  the  figure,  that  these  weights 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  321 

will  lie  against  the  inner  surface  of  the  larger 
cylinder  whenever  the  outer  end  of  the  bottom 
partition  of  any  cell  is  lowest:  and,  on  the  con- 
trary, when  that  extremity  is  highest,  the  weight 
will  rest  on  the  surface  of  the  interior  cylinder. 
Let  the  wheel  be  made  to  revolve  in  the  direction 
A  B  C ;  the  weights  inCDEFGHI  being  close 
to  the  external  circle,  and  the  weights  K  L  M  A  B 

5,  pi.  15.) 


close  to  the  inner,  for  the  reasons  last  mentioned. 
As  the  cell  B  descends,  its  weight  will  likewise 
run  out,  at  the  same  time  that  the  weight  in  the 
cell  I  will  run  in  in  consequence  of  its  partition 
being  elevated.  By  the  continuation  of  this  proc- 
ess, since  all  the  weights  on  the  descending  side 
pass  down  at  a  greater  distance  from  the  center, 
while  those  of  the  ascending  side  rise  for  a  con- 
siderable part  of  their  ascent  at  a  less  distance 
from  the  same  point,  it  is  concluded  that  the  wheel 
will  continue  to  maintain  its  motion.  On  this, 
however,  it  is  to  be  remarked  that  the  perpendic- 
ular ascent  and  descent  are  alike,  both  in  measure 
and  in  time  of  performance ;  and  that  the  familiar 


322  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

examination,  even  to  those  who  know  little  of 
such  subjects,  is  sufficient  to  show  that  the  pre- 
ponderance is  not  quite  so  palpable  as  at  first  it 
appears.  For  the  weights  G  and  F,  H  and  E, 
I  and  D  are  evidently  in  equilibrio,  because  at  the 
same  horizontal  distance  from  the  center ;  and  if 
the  favorable  supposition  that  the  weight  B  has 
already  run  out  be  admitted,  it  will  then  remain  a 
question  whether  these  two  exterior  weights,  B 
and  C,  can  preponderate  over  the  four  inner 
weights,  K  L  M  A.  The  more  accurate  exam- 
ination of  this  particular  contrivance  will  lead  to 
the  following  theorem :  In  two  concentric  circles, 
if  tangents  be  drawn  at  the  extreme  points  of  a 
diameter  of  the  smaller,  and  continued  till  they 
intersect  the  larger,  the  common  center  of  gravity 
of  the  arc  of  the  greater  circle  included  between 
the  tangents  and  of  the  half  periphery  of  the 
smaller  circle  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  diam- 
eter, will  be  the  common  center  of  the  circles. 
If,  therefore,  the  balls  were  indefinitely  numer- 
ous and  small,  the  supposed  effective  parts  of  the 
wheel  (Fig.  5)  would  be  in  equilibrio,  as  well  as 
the  parts  beneath  the  horizontal  tangent  of  the 
inner  circle. 

Fig.  6  represents  the  contrivance  of  Dr. 
Schwiers,  which,  in  a  periodical  publication,  in 
other  particulars  respectable,  has  been  said  to 
continue  in  motion  for  weeks  and  even  months 
together.  There  is  not  the  smallest  probability 
that  it  should  continue  in  motion  for  half  a 
minute,  or  nearly  as  long  as  a  simple  wheel  would 
retain  part  of  its  first  impulse.  The  external 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  323 

circle  denotes  a  wheel  carrying  a  number  of  buck- 
ets, A  B  I  L,  etc.  C  represents  a  toothed  wheel, 
on  the  same  axis  which  drives  a  pinion  D;  and 
this  last  drives  another  pinion  E  upon  the  axis  of 
a  lanthorn,  or  wheel  intended  to  work  a  chain- 
pump  with  the  same  number  of  buckets  as  in  the 
larger  wheel  A  B  I.  The  lanthorn  G  is  made  of 
such  a  size  as  to  receive  the  buckets  a  b  i  I  with  a 
due  velocity.  K  represents  a  gutter  through 
which  a  metallic  ball,  contained  in  the  bucket  m, 
may  run  and  lodge  itself  in  the  bucket  A  of  the 
wheel.  Each  of  the  buckets  of  the  wheel,  B  I 
L  M,  which  are  below  the  gutter,  is  supplied  with 
a  metallic  ball,  and  so  likewise  are  the  ascending 
buckets,  abilm,  of  the  chain-pump.  As  the 
pump  supplies  the  wheel,  it  is  again  supplied  at 
M,  where  the  balls  fall  into  its  ascending  buckets. 
Now,  it  is  presumed  that  the  balls  in  the  wheel  I 
suppose  on  account  of  their  distance  from  the 
center  of  motion,  will  descend  with  more  than 
sufficient  force  to  raise  those  on  the  chain,  and, 
consequently,  that  the  motion  will  be  perpetual. 
The  deception  in  this  contrivance  has  much 
less  seduction  than  in  the  two  foregoing,  because 
it  is  more  easily  referred  to  the  simple  lever. 
This,  like  the  others,  exhibits  no  prospect  of  suc- 
cess, when  tried  by  the  simple  consideration  of 
the  quality  of  the  ascent  and  descent  in  the  whole 
time  of  the  rotation  of  a  single  ball.  It  may  also 
be  shown  from  the  principles  of  wheel-work, 
which  are  familiar  to  artisans,  that  whatever  is 
gained  by  the  excess  of  the  diameter  of  the  great 
wheel  beyond  that  of  the  wheel  C,  is  again  lost 


324 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


by  the  excess  of  the  lanthorn  A  beyond  the 
pinion  E. 

The  fundamental  proposition  of  the  simple 
lever  or  balance,  that  equal  bodies  at  an  equal  dis- 


(Fig.  6) 
A 


B 


N 

tance  from  the  fulcrum  will  equiponderate,  but 
that  at  unequal  distances  the  most  remote  will 
descend,  has,  in  these  and  numberless  other  in- 
stances, led  mechanical  workmen  and  speculators 
to  pursue  this  fruitless  inquiry  with  labor  and  ex- 
pense often  ill-afforded,  and  with  a  degree  of 


PERPETUAL   MOTION 


325 


anxiety  and  infatuation  which  can  hardly  be  con- 
ceived by  those  who  have  never  suffered  the  pain 
of  hope  long  deferred.  For  this  reason  chiefly, 
it  has  appeared  desirable  and  useful  to  treat  the 
subject  in  a  familiar  way  without  descending  to 
those  expressions  of  contempt,  which  ignorance, 
harmless  to  all  but  itself,  is  surely  not  entitled  to. 
If  such  reasoners  were  well  convinced  that  the 
power  of  a  machine  is  to  be  estimated  by  the 
excess  of  motion  referred  to  the  perpendicular, 
without  any  regard  to  the  apparent  center  of  the 

Compound  Balance.    (Fig.  3,  pi.  15) 


machine,  and  that  in  machines  very  little  com- 
pounded it  is  possible  to  produce  effects  directly 
contrary  to  the  rule  which  is  true  of  the  simple 
lever,  they  would  probably  renounce  many  flatter- 
ing projects,  grounded  only  on  the  supposition 
of  its  universality.  Desaguliers  contrived  an  ap- 
paratus in  which  two  equal  weights  may  be  placed 
at  any  distance  whatever  from  the  center  of  mo- 


326  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

tion,  and  still  continue  in  equilibrio.  Fig.  3  rep- 
resents this  instrument.  A  D  denotes  a  balance 
with  equal  arms,  and  E  F  another  of  the  same 
dimensions.  These  move  on  the  centers  B  and  C, 
and  are  connected  by  the  inflexible  rods  A  E  and 
D  F ;  the  motion  being  left  free  by  means  of  joints 
at  the  corners.  Across  the  rods  A  D,  E  F,  are 
fixed  two  bars,  I  K,  L  M.  Now,  it  is  unnecessary 
to  show  that  the  weight  G  will  describe  exactly 
the  same  line  or  circular  arc,  when  the  levers  are 
moved  into  the  position  adfe.or  any  other  posi- 
tion, as  it  would  have  described  in  case  it  had  been 
suspended  at  A,  or  K,  or  E ;  and  that  it  is  of  no 
consequence  in  this  respect  at  what  part  of  the 
line  A  E  or  I  K  it  be  fixed.  The  same  observa- 
tions are  true  of  the  weight  H  on  the  other  side. 
And  accordingly  it  is  found  that  these  equal 
weights  may  be  suspended  anywhere  on  the  lines 
I  K  and  L  M  without  altering  their  equilibrium. 
By  this  contrivance  it  is  most  evidently 
proved  to  those  who  are  totally  unacquainted  with 
the  theory,  that  weights  do  not  perponderate  in 
compound  engines  on  account  of  their  distance 
from  the  center.  Several  contrivances  may  be 
made  to  the  same  effect.  The  following  combina- 
tion of  wheel-work  presented  itself  to  me  as  one 
which  would  most  probably  be  mistaken  for  a  per- 
petual motion.  (Fig.  2,  plate  15.)  The  five 
circles  represent  the  same  number  of  wheels  of 
equal  diameter  and  number  of  teeth,  acting  to- 
gether. The  middle  wheel  A  is  fixed  between 
two  upright  pillars,  so  that  it  cannot  revolve.  The 
other  four  wheels  are  pinned  in  a  frame  H  I,  in 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


327 


which  they  can  revolve,  and  through  which  the 
axis  of  A  likewise  passes.  From  the  extremity 
of  the  axis  of  D,  and  also  of  d,  proceed  the  hori- 
zontal levers  H  K  and  I  L,  which  are  equal,  and 
point  in  the  same  direction  parallel  to  the  plane 
of  the  wheels.  At  the  extremity  of  these  arms 


(Fig.*, 


hang  the  equal  weights  P  and  p.  Let  it  now  be 
imagined  that  the  end  I  of  the  frame  is  de- 
pressed, the  wheel  B  will  turn  round  by  the  re- 
action of  the  fixed  wheel  A  in  the  same  direction 
as  H  I,  and  it  will  make  one  revolution  in  the 
same  time  relative  to  the  frame,  or  two  with  re- 
gard to  absolute  space,  by  reason  of  its  being 
carried  round.  The  action  of  B  upon  D  will 


328  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

produce  a  rotation  relative  to  the  frame  in  the 
opposite  direction  during  the  same  time.  Instead, 
therefore,  of  two  revolutions  like  the  wheel  B, 
this  wheel  D,  with  regard  to  absolute  space,  will 
not  revolve  at  all,  and  in  every  position  of  the 
apparatus  the  arm  I  L  will  continue  horizontal, 
and  point  the  same  way.  For  similar  reasons  the 
arm  H  K  will  retain  its  position.  Consequently, 
it  is  seen  that  the  descending  weight  will  move 
at  a  great  horizontal  distance  from  the  center  N, 
while  the  ascending  weight  rises  very  near  that 
center.  But  there  will,  not  on  this  account,  be  a 
perpetual  motion:  for  the  action  of  the  levers 
H  K  and  I  L  upon  the  frame  H  I,  by  means  of  the 
toothed  wheels,  will,  in  the  detail,  be  found  pre- 
cisely alike,  and  in  the  general  consideration  of 
the  motions  of  P  and  p,  the  opposite  motions  in 
the  circle  E  F  G  will  be  accurately  the  same. 

It  has  always  been  considered  as  essential 
to  a  perpetual  motion  that  it  should  be  derived 
from  some  energy  which  is  not  supposed  to  vary 
in  its  intensity.  Such  are  the  inertia,  the  gravity 
or  magnetism  of  bodies.  For  an  occasional  or 
periodical  variation  of  intensity  in  any  force  is 
evidently  productive  of  motion,  which  requires 
only  to  be  accumulated  or  applied,  and  the  ap- 
paratus for  applying  it  cannot  be  considered  as  a 
machine  for  perpetual  motion.  Neither  in  strict- 
ness can  any  machine  whose  motion  is  derived 
from  the  rotation  of  the  earth,  and  the  consequent 
change  of  seasons  and  rotation  of  events,  be  so 
considered,  because  it  does  not  generate,  but  only 
communicates.  The  perpetual  flow  of  rivers ;  the 


PERPETUAL    MOTION  329 

vicissitudes  of  the  tides ;  the  constant,  periodical 
and  variable  winds ;  the  expansions  and  contrac- 
tions of  air,  mercury,  or  other  fluids,  by  daily 
or  other  changes  of  temperature;  the  differences 
of  expansions  in  metals,  by  the  same  change ;  the 
rise  and  fall  of  the  mercury  in  the  barometer ;  the 
hygrometric  changes  in  the  remains  of  organized 
beings,  and  every  other  mutation  which  continu- 
ally happens  around  us,  may  be  applied  to  give 
motion  to  mills,  clocks,  and  other  engines,  which 
may  be  contrived  to  endure  as  long  as  the  ap- 
paratus retains  its  figure. 

Mr.  Nicholson's  article,  published  above, 
shows,  if  nothing  else  had  ever  shown,  the  fact 
that  he  was  endowed  with  a  real  scientific  mind. 
It  also  shows  what  is  still  most  interesting — that 
his  mind  anticipated  and  that  he  had  a  subcon- 
scious conception  of  the  principle  of  Conserva- 
tion of  Energy. 

In  1824  and  1825  there  was  published  in 
London  a  mechanical  journal  called  "The  Ar- 
tisan"; or  "Mechanic's  Instructor."  In  one  of 
the  issues  the  following  occurred  on  the  subject 
of  Perpetual  Motion: 

Perpetual  motion  is  a  motion  which  is  sup- 
plied and  renewed  from  itself  without  the  inter- 
vention of  any  external  cause :  to  find  a  perpetual 
motion,  or  to  construct  a  machine  which  shall 
have  such  a  motion,  is  a  subject  which  has  en- 
gaged the  attention  of  mathematicians  for  more 
than  2,000  years;  though  none  perhaps  have 


330  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

prosecuted  it  with  so  much  zeal  and  hopes  of  ulti- 
mate success  as  some  of  the  speculative  philoso- 
phers of  the  present  age. 

Infinite  are  the  schemes,  designs,  plans,  en- 
gines, wheels,  etc.,  to  which  this  longed-for  per-, 
petual  motion  has  given  birth;  and  it  would  not 
only  be  endless  but  ridiculous  to  attempt  to  give 
a  detail  of  them  all,  especially  as  none  of  them 
deserve  particular  mention,  since  they  have  all 
equally  proved  abortive ;  and  it  would  rather  par- 
take of  the  nature  of  an  affront  than  a  compli- 
ment, to  distinguish  the  pretenders  of  this  dis- 
covery, as  the  very  attempting  of  the  thing  con- 
veys a  very  unfavorable  idea  of  the  mental  pow- 
ers of  the  operator. 

For  among  all  the  laws  of  matter  and  motion, 
we  know  of  none  which  seems  to  afford  any  prin- 
ciple or  foundation  for  such  an  effect.  Action 
and  reaction  are  allowed  to  be  ever  equal ;  and  a 
body  which  gives  any  quantity  of  motion  to  an- 
other, always  loses  just  so  much  of  its  own ;  but, 
under  the  present  state  of  things,  the  resistance 
of  the  air,  and  the  friction  of  the  parts  of  ma- 
chines, necessarily  retard  eyery  motion. 

To  keep  the  motion  going  on,  therefore,  there 
must  either  be  a  supply  from  some  foreign  cause, 
which,  in  a  perpetual  motion,  is  excluded. 

Or,  all  resistance  from  the  friction  of  the 
parts  of  matter  must  be  removed;  which  neces- 
sarily implies  a  change  in  the  nature  of  things. 

For  by  the  second  law  of  motion  the  changes 
made  in  the  motions  of  bodies  are  always  propor- 
tional to  the  impressed  moving  force,  and  are  pro- 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  331 

duced  in  the  same  direction  with  it;  no  motion, 
then,  can  be  communicated  to  any  engine,  greater 
than  that  of  the  first  force  impressed. 

But,  on  our  earth,  all  motion  is  performed 
in  a  resisting  fluid,  namely,  the  atmosphere,  and 
must,  therefore,  of  necessity,  be  retarded;  conse- 
quently, a  considerable  quantity  of  its  motion  will 
be  spent  on  the  medium.  Nor  is  there  any  engine 
or  machine  wherein  all  friction  can  be  avoided; 
there  being  in  nature  no  such  thing  as  exact 
smoothness  or  perfect  congruity;  the  manner  of 
the  cohesion  of  the  parts  of  bodies,  the  small  pro- 
portion which  the  solid  matter  bears  to  the  vacui- 
ties between  them,  and  the  nature  of  those  consti- 
tuent particles  not  admitting  it. 

Friction,  therefore,  will  also,  in  time,  sensibly 
diminish  the  impressed  or  communicated  force; 
so  that  a  perpetual  motion  can  never  follow,  un- 
less the  communicated  force  be  so  much  greater 
than  the  generating  force  as  to  supply  the  diminu- 
tion occasioned  by  all  these  causes;  but  the  gen-' 
crating  %force  cannot  communicate  a  greater  de- 
gree of  motion  than  it  had  itself.  Therefore,  the 
whole  affair  of  finding  a  perpetual  motion  comes 
to  this,  viz.,  to  make  a  weight  heavier  than  itself, 
or  an  elastic  force  greater  than  itself;  or,  there 
must  be  some  method  of  gaining  a  force  equiva- 
lent to  what  is  lost  by  the  artful  disposition  and 
combination  of  the  mechanical  powers :  to  this  last 
point  then,  all  endeavors  are  to  be  directed;  but 
how,  or  by  what  means  such  a  force  can  be  gained, 
is  still  a  mystery! 

The  multiplication  of  powers  or  forces  avails 


332  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

nothing;  for  what  is  gained  in  power  is  lost  in 
time ;  so  that  the  quantity  of  motion  still  remains 
the  same. 

The  whole  science  of  mechanics  cannot  really 
make  a  little  power  equal  or  superior  to  a  larger ; 
and  wherever  a  less  power  is  found  in  equilibrio 
with  a  greater — as,  for  example,  twenty-five 
pounds  with  one  hundred — it  is  a  kind  of  decep- 
tion of  the  sense;  for  the  equilibrium  is  not 
strictly  between  one -hundred  pounds  and  twenty- 
five  pounds  moving  (or  disposed  to  move)  four 
times  as  fast  as  the  one  hundred  pounds. 

A  power  of  ten  pounds  moving  with  ten 
times  the  velocity  of  one  hundred  pounds  would 
have  equalled  the  one  hundred  in  the  same  man- 
ner ;  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  all  the  possible 
products  equal  to  one  hundred:  but  there  must 
still  be  one  hundred  pounds  of  power  on  each  side, 
whatever  way  they  may  be  taken,  whether  in 
matter  or  in  velocity. 

This  is  an  inviolable  law  of  nature ;  by  which 
nothing  is  left  to  art,  but  the  choice  of  the  several 
combinations  that  may  produce  the  same  effects. 

The  only  interest  that  we  can  take  in  the 
projects  which  have  been  tried  for  procuring  a 
perpetual  motion  must  arise  from  the  opportunity 
that  they  afford  of  observing  the  weakness  of 
human  reason. 

For  a  better  instance  of  this  can  scarcely  be 
supplied  than  to  see  a  man  spending  whole  years 
in  the  pursuit  of  an  object,  which  a  single  week's 
application  to  sober  philosophy  would  have  con- 
vinced him  was  unattainable. 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  333 

But  for  the  satisfaction  of  those  who  may 
not  be  convinced  of  the  impossibility  of  attaining 
this  grand  object,  we  shall  add  a  few  observations 
on  the  subject  of  a  still  more  practical  nature  than 
the  above. 

The  most  satisfactory  confutation  of  the  no- 
tion of  the  possibility  of  a  perpetual  motion  is 
derived  from  the  consideration  of  the  properties 
of  the  center  of  gravity;  it  is  only  necessary  to 


examine  whether  it  will  begin  >  to  descend  or 
ascend  when  the  machine  moves,  or  whether  it 
will  remain  at  rest.  If  it  be  so  placed  that  it 
must  either  remain  at  rest  or  ascend,  it  is  clear, 
from  the  laws  of  equilibrium,  that  no  motion  de- 
rived from  gravitation  can  take  place;  if  it  may 
descend,  it  must  either  continue  to  descend  for- 
ever with  a  finite  velocity,  which  is  impossible, 


334  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

or  it  must  first  descend  and  then  ascend  with  a 
vibratory  motion,  and  then  the  case  will  be  re- 
ducible to  that  of  a  pendulum,  where  it  is  obvious 
that  no  new  motion  is  generated,  and  that  the  fric- 
tion and  resistance  of  the  air  must  soon  destroy 
the  original  motion. 

One  of  the  most  common  fallacies  by  which 
the  superficial  projectors  of  machines  for  obtain- 
ing a  perpetual  motion  have  been  deluded,  has 
arisen  from  imagining  that  any  number  of 
weights  ascending  by  a  certain  path  on  one  side 
of  the  center  of  motion,  and  descending  on  the 
other  at  a  greater  distance,  must  cause  a  constant 
preponderance  on  the  side  of  the  descent ;  and  for 
this  purpose  weights  have  been  made  to  slide  or 
roll  along  grooves  or  planes,  which  lead  them  to  a 
more  remote  part  of  the  wheel,  from  whence  they 
return  as  they  ascend,  as  represented  in  the  fol- 
lowing figure :  Or  they  have  been  fixed  on  hinges 
which  allow  them  to  fall  over  at  a  certain  point  s<5 
as  to  become  more  distant  from  the  center ;  but  it 
will  appear  on  the  inspection  of  such  a  machine 
that  although  some  of  the  weights  are  more  dis- 
tant from  the  center  than  others,  yet  there  is 
always  a  proportionally  smaller  number  of  them 
on  that  side  on  which  they  have  the  greater 
power;  so  that  these  circumstances  precisely 
counterbalance  each  other. 

We  have  heard  it  proposed  to  attach  hollow 
arms  to  a  wheel  by  joints  or  hinges  at  the  circum- 
ference, and  to  fill  these  arms  with  quicksilver  or 
small  balls  instead  of  the  plan  represented  by  the 
above  figure ;  but  though  we  have  never  heard  of 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  335 

it  having  been  tried,  we  are  perfectly  convinced 
that  it  would  end  as  all  other  attempts  have  done ; 
that  is,  in  a  total  failure. 

The  Possibility  of  Perpetual  Motion  Asserted 

The  enthusiastic  earnestness  with  which  the 
subject  of  Perpetual  Motion  was  formerly  dis- 
cussed is  illustrated  by  the  fact  that  the  Holy 
Scriptures  were  dragged  in  to  support  arguments 
on  the  proposition. 

The  following  is  a  verbatim  copy  of  an  ar- 
ticle published  in  an  English  scientific  magazine 
in  1829: 

"Notice  to  Perpetual  Motion  Seekers." — The 
following  is  a  literal  copy  of  a  communication 
which  we  have  received  under  this  head.  We 
publish  it  for  the  benefit  of  all  concerned:  "Per- 
petual Motion  Seekers!  see  Coloss.,  ch.  ii.,-v.  8 — 
'Beware  lest  any  man  spoil  you,  through  phil- 
osophy and  vain  deceit,  after  the  tradition  of 
men,  after  the  rudiments  of  the  world/  Ye  are 
making  the  words  of  God  of  none  effect  by  your 
traditions  in  publishing  these  things  to  the  world. 
How  can  such  toys  and  baubles  as  these  be  per- 
petual? See  Malachi.  ch.  iv.,  v.  1 — Tor  behold 
the  day  cometh  that  shall  burn  as  an  oven;  and 
all  the  proud,  yea,  all  that  do  wickedly,  shall  be  as 
stubble/  Here  is  the  end  of  them.  I,  the  un- 
dersigned, have  to  inform  the  public,  the  model 
for  making  perpetual  motion  is  to  be  found  in  that 
too  much  neglected  book  of  models,  the  Bible.  I 
called  upon  the  Lord,  and  he  showed  it  to  me.  I 


336  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

said,  'Lord,  shall  I  show  this  unto  them?  This 
was  the  answer  to  me:  See  Iraiah,  ch.  xli.,  v.  29 
—'Behold,  they  are  all  vanity;  their  works  are 
nothing/  I  said,  'Lord,  be  pleased  to  show  me 
some  more  about  it.'  'Bring  forth  your  strong 
reasons,  saith  the  King  of  Jacob/ — Isaiah,  ch. 
xli.,  v.  21.  This  was  the  answer:  See  Isaiah,  ch. 
xli.,  v.  14 — 'Fear  not,  thou  worm  Jacob.  *  * 
Behold,  I  will  make  thee  a  new  sharp  threshing 
instrument  having  teeth;  thou  shalt  thresh  the 
mountains,  and  beat  them  small,  and  shall  make 
the  hills  as  chaff/  See  also  Jeremiah,  ch.  vii., 
v.  9 — 'The  wise  men  are  ashamed;  they  are  dis- 
mayed and  taken/  etc.  See  also  Jeremiah,  ch. 
ix.,  v.  12 — 'Who  is  the  wise  man  that  may  under- 
stand this?'  If  there  is  not  a  wise  and  learned 
man  who  can  show  this,  there  is  a  deaf  and  un- 
learned man  that  will,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  set 
it  forth  to  you.  I  am  that  deaf  and  unlearned 
man,  George  Lovatt,  Stafford. 

"P.  S. — Mr.  Editor :  I  have  told  you  what  I 
Avas  commanded  to  do.  See  Ezekiel,  ch.  iii.,  v.  4 
to  the  end.  Now,  see  thou  forget  it  not ;  let  those 
models  which  come  from  the  Word  of  God  have 
the  first  place. — Joshua,  ch.  xxiv.,  v.  15." 

John  Bernoulli's  Dissertation  on  Perpetual 
Motion 

John  Bernoulli  was  born  in  1667,  and  died  in 
1748.  He  belonged  to  the  famous  Belgian  family 
bearing  the  name.  His  family  seems  to  have 
been  peculiarly  prolific  in  men  of  great  genius  for 
mathematics  and  science.  Almost  any  encyclo- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  337 

pedia  with  any  pretense  for  thoroughness  will 
mention  and  give  the  sketch  of  the  life  of  from 
five  to  nine  members  of  the  Bernoulli  family. 

John  Bernoulli  possessed  perhaps  the  great- 
est genius  of  any  bearing  the  name  for  pure 
mathematics  and  pure  mechanics.  He  was  a 
contemporary  of  such  men  as  Leibnitz,  Euler  and 
Newton,  a  co-laborer  with  the  two  former,  but 
never  conceded  the  merits  of  Newton.  He  was 
of  a  peculiar  disposition,  of  intense  likes  and  dis- 
likes and  among  his  peculiarities  it  may  be  men- 
tioned that  he  harbored  an  unreasonable  hatred 
toward  a  worthy  and  deserving  son. 

In  1742  he  wrote  a  work  entitled  "Disserta- 
tion on  Effervescence  and  Fermentation/'  To 
this  work  he  added  an  appendix  entitled  "Con- 
cerning Artificial  Perpetual  Motion."  The  ap- 
pendix translated  into  English  and  as  published 
by  Dircks,  is  as  follows : 

Scarcely  had  I  finished  this  dissertation, 
when,  attentively  considering  the  nature  of  pre- 
cipitation and  secretion,  briefly  explained  in  the 
last  pages,  there  accidentally  occurred  to  me  a 
mode  of  constructing,  by  means  of  some  continu- 
ally flowing  liquid,  the  much-talked  of  and  long- 
desired  Perpetual  Artificial  Motion ;  and  this  as  a 
completion  to  my  work,  on  account  of  the  affinity 
of  the  subject,  I  now  propose  for  the  consider- 
ation of  the  learned. 

No  one  need  be  told  how  eagerly  for  a  length 


338  .     PERPETUAL   MOTION 

of  time  this  same  Perpetual  Motion  has  been 
sought  after  by  the  most  celebrated  men,  how 
ardently  desired ;  what  indeed  have  they  not  con- 
trived? To  what  expense  have  they  not  gone? 
How  many  machines  have  they  not  constructed? 
But  all  in  vain. 

The  secret  desire  of  this  Perpetual  Motion 
still  perplexes  and  torments  many,  and  excites 
their  minds  to  such  a  degree  that  we  see  the  ears 
and  minds  of  learned  men  carried  away  by  it ;  yet 
many  philosophers  reject  the  idea,  unanimously 
asserting  that  Perpetual  Motion  cannot  be  com- 
municated and  cannot  be  invented ;  which  opinion 
is  nevertheless  not  of  any  weight,  seeing  that  they 
rashly  judge  that  no  one  should  be  listened  to 
who  boasts  of  having  found  out  such  a  thing; 
and  their  reasons  (as  I  confess)  do  not  suffice  to 
convince  me;  for  I  do  not  hesitate  to  assert  not 
only  that  Perpetual  Motion  may  be  discovered, 
but  that  it  has  now  actually  been  discovered,  as 
will  be  confessed  by  any  one  who  reads  these 
lines;  and  what  is  this  labor  to  many?  does  not. 
Nature  herself  (who  is  never  said  not  to  operate 
by  mechanical  laws)  indicate  Perpetual  Motion 
to  be  possible  ?  To  recall  but  one  instance,  what  is 
the  constant  flux  and  reflux  of  the  rivers  and  seas 
but  Perpetual  Motion  ?  Does  it  not  all  belong  to 
Mechanics?  Therefore,  you  must  confess  that  it 
does  not  exceed  the  limits  of  mechanical  laws,  and 
is  not  impossible ;  what  then  hinders  that  follow- 
ing Nature  in  this,  we  should  be  able  perfectly  to 
imitate  her  ?  as  indeed  I  shall  so  conclude,  by  de- 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


339 


daring  to  these  the  possibility  of  Perpetual  Mo- 
tion and  the  manner  of  obtaining  it ;  and  lest  thou 
come  to  an  adverse  conclusion,  or  regard  it  as  a 
Titanic  enterprise,  I  pray  that  thou  mayest  first 
well  weigh  the  thing,  or,  if  it  so  please  thee,  put 
its  truth  to  the  test  of  experience. 

First  of  all  the  following  must  be  premised : 

1.  If  there  are  two  fluids  of  different  density, 
the  weights  of  which  respectively  are  in  the  ratio 
G  to  L ;  the  altitudes  of  cylinders  of  equal  weight, 
and  having  the  same  base,  will  be  in  the  ratio 
L  to  G. 

2.  Therefore,  if  the  altitude  A  C  of  one  fluid 
contained  in  the  vessel  A  D  to  be  the  altitude 
E  F  of  the  other  fluid  contained  in  an  open  tube, 
as  L  to  D  ;  the  fluids  so  placed  will  remain  at  rest. 

3.  Therefore,  if  A  C  to  E  F  be  in  a  greater 
ratio  than  L  to  G,  the  fluid  in  the  tube  will  ascend ; 

or  if  the  tube  be  not  suffi- 
ciently 'long,  the  fluid  will 
escape  by  the  orifice  E. 
(These  are  proved  by  Hy- 
drostatics.) 

4.  It   is   possible   to 
have  two  fluids  of  differ- 
ent   gravity,    which    are 
capable   of   being  mixed 
one  with  the  other. 

5.  It    is    possible   to 
have  a  filter,  strainer  or  other  separator,  by  means 
of  which  the  lighter  fluid  may  be  separated  from 
the  heavier. 


(Table  I,  Fig  *.) 

e 


340  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

Construction 

These  being  pre-supposed,  I  construct  Per- 
petual Motion  in  the  following  manner:- 

Let  two  fluids  of  different  gravity  and  capa- 
ble of  mixing  together  (which  is  possible  by  Hyp. 
4)  be  taken  in  any  quantities,  in  equal  quantities, 
if  desired ;  let  the  ratios  of  their  gravities  be  first 
determined,  which  suppose  as  G  to  L,  the  heavier 
to  the  lighter ;  and  being  mixed,  let  a  vessel,  A  D, 
be  filled  to  A. 

This  having  been  done,  let  a  tube  be  taken, 
open  at  both  ends  E  F ;  and  of  such  a  length  that 
AC  :  E  F  >  2  L  :  G  +  L;  and  the  orifice  F 
stopped,  or  rather  filled  with  a  filter  or  some  sub- 
stance separating  the  lighter  fluid  from  the 
heavier  (as  is  possible  also  by  Hyp.  5)  ;  when  the 
tube  filled  in  this  manner  with  fluid  is  immersed 
to  the  bottom  of  the  vessel  C  D ;  I  say  that  the 
fluid  will  continually  ascend  by  the  orifice  of  the 
tube  F,  and  by  the  orifice  E  will  fall  into  the  fluid 
below. 

Demonstration 

Because  the  orifice  of  the  tube  F  is  occupied 
by  a  filter  (by  Constr.)  which  separates  the 
lighter  fluid  from  the  heavier ;  it  follows,  that  if 
the  tube  be  immersed  to  the  bottom  of  the  vessel, 
the  fluid  lighter  by  itself,  which  is  mixed  with  the 
heavier  fluid,  must  ascend  in  the  tube,  and  as  it 
will  ascend  above  the  surface  of  the  surrounding 
fluid  asAC:EF  =  2L:G  +  L:  which  is  (by 
Const.)  AC:EF>2L:G+L,  it  necessarily 
follows  (by  Hyp.  3)  that  the  lighter  liquid, 
through  the  orifice  E,  will  fall  in  the  vessel  below ; 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  341 

there  it  again  mixes  with  the  heavier  (by  Hyp. 
4)  ;  and  then,  penetrating  the  filter,  ascends  again 
into  the  tube,  and  escapes  by  the  upper  orifice. 
So,  therefore,  the  flow  is  continued  perpetually. — 
Q.  E.  D. 

Corollary 

Hence  a  reason  may  easily  be  given,  why 
water  from  the  depths  of  the  ocean,  ascending 
into  the  summits  of  the  mountains,  bursts  from 
them  in  the  form  of  rivers  and  flows  again  into 
the  ocean;  so  does  Nature  offer  to  us  the  spec- 
tacle of  perpetual  motion. 

Hence  I  say,  they  do  not  well  explain  who 
allege  that  the  water  ascends  to  these  heights 
through  the  pores  of  the  §arth,  as  a  fluid  ascends 
in  narrow  tubes  above  the  surface  of  the  fluid  sur- 
rounding; for  if  such  were  the  explanation  of  the 
thing,  they  would  never  be  able  to  demonstrate 
it;  for  the  water  so  raised  to  a  height  from  the 
bosom  of  the  earth,  falls  again,  whereas  we  see 
that  the  fluid  in  these  narrow  tubes,  although 
slightly  elevated  above  the  surrounding  surface, 
never  issues  from  their  orifices  and  falls  into  the 
fluid  below.  The  following  is  then  the  more 
feasible  explanation.  It  is  known  that  water  in 
which  much  salt  is  held  in  solution  is  heavier  than 
fresh  water ;  now  sea-water,  as  is  sufficiently  evi- 
dent from  the  taste,  contains  many  saline  par- 
ticles; consequently  it  is  heavier  than  spring  or 
river  water ;  so  that  it  is  credible  that  the  earth 
acts  like  a  filter  through  the  pores  of  which  only 
fresh  water  can  pass,  the  saline  particles  being 
left  behind,  and  this  increases  the  weight  of  the 


342  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

water;  the  fresh  water  must  ascend 'much  higher 
on  account  of  the  immense  profundity  of  the 
ocean,  as  it  is  forced  to  the  highest  peaks  of  the 
mountains  by  the  presence  of  the  sea-water ;  and 
thence,  not  being  able  to  ascend  any  higher,  it 
falls  in  rivers. 

P.  Christopher  Scheiner 

That  an  earnest  belief  in  the  possibility  of 
Perpetual  Motion  has  not  been  confined  entirely 
to  scientific  tyros  and  enthusiastic  dreamers,  is 
sufficiently  attested  by  the  fact  that  a  respectable 
number  of  eminent  scientists,  many  of  whom  had 
done  great  service  in  their  scientific  labors,  have 
believed  in  such  possibility. 

Among  these  is  to  be  mentioned  P.  Chris- 
topher Scheiner,  a  German,  born  1575,  and  died 
1650.  He  was  a  mechanic  of  note;  in  his  day 
made  valuable  additions  to  what  was  known  of 
light  and  optics,  invented  the  Pantagraph,  dis- 
covered solar  spots,  besides  benefiting  mankind 
by  many  other  distinguished  fruits  of  his  genius. 

The  subject  of  Perpetual  Motion  claimed 
some  of  his  attention.  He  wrote  in  defense  of  its 
possibility.  The  substance  of  what  he  said,  trans- 
lated into  English,  is  as  follows : 

Let  the  centre  of  the  universe  then,  or  of 
gravity,  be  A,  and  the  gnomon  A  B  C,  of  which 
the  extremity  A  is  pierced  and  traversed  by  an 
axis  going  through  the  centre  of  the  world,  so 
that  it  may  turn  and  revolve  freely  and  easily 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


343 


around  the  said  centre;  to  the  other  extremity 
of  the  gnomon,  C,  let  a  phial  full  of  water  be 
attached. 

The  weight  C  will  turn  around  the  centre  A 
and  will  first  come  to  D,  thence  to  E,  thence  to  F 
and  G;  then  it  will  return 
to  C,  having  described  a 
complete  circle,  C  D  E  F  G ; 
then  it  will  again  move  to 
D,  E,  F,  etc.,  and  so  per- 
petually, since  there  is  no 
reason  for  its  stopping  in 
any  point  of  the  circle  rather 
than  in  another. 

That  indeed  the  weight 

C  affixed  to  the  gnomon  will  move  from  C  to  D, 
is  proved  by  daily  experience,  by  which  it  is  es- 
tablished that  a  gnomon  so  contrived  and  placed 
erect  on  any  flat  space,  will  not  be  able  to  stand, 
but  the  arm  B  C,  C  preponderating,  wrill  move 
towards  D. 

It  may  in  the  second  place  be  proved,  that  if, 
on  the  other  hand,  another  arm  B  G  be  added  to 
the  gnomon,  equal  in  weight  and  similar  to  the 
other,  the  whole  G  B  C  A  will  remain  motionless 
in  equilibrium;  therefore  the  arm  B  G  being 
taken  away  and  equilibrium  being  destroyed, 
the  arm  B  C  must  move  in  the  opposite  direction. 
The  above,  from  Scheiner,  called  forth  the 
following  from  Schott,  who  was  also  an  eminent 
mathematician : 

Whether  there  could  be  a  perpetual  artificial 
motion  around  the  centre  of  the  earth  ? 


344 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


FIG.  10. 


We  have  treated  this  question  in  our  Hy- 
draulico-pneumatic  Mechanics,  Part  2,  Class  2, 
Machine  13,  not  however  universally,  but  only  in 

one  particular  case, 
that  of  the  Gnomon 
of  Scheiner.  For  P. 
Christopher  S  c  h  e  i- 
ner,  in  "Mathemat- 
ical Disquisitions," 
in  Number  XV.,  Co- 
rollary 4,  asserts 
Perpetual  Artificial 
Motion  not  to  be  re- 
pugnant to  Nature, 
and  attempts  to  prove 


it  in  the  following 
manner.  Let  a 
gnomon  of  a  certain 
weight  A  B  C  be  sus- 
pended around  A,  the 
centre  of  the  universe,  and  bound  to  the  beam  D 
F,  which  is  supported  by  the  columns  D  F  and 
E  G  and  turns  at  the  pole  D  or  E ;  or  let  it  be  fixed 
at  the  poles,  but  the  gnomon  revolving  at  A. 

These  being  the  conditions,  I  say  that  the 
gnomon  ABC  will  revolve  from  C  to  H  and  to- 
wards I,  thence  will  return  to  C,  thence  to  H  as 
before,  and  so  on  perpetually.  The  cause  of  this 
continual  motion  is  the  forcible  suspension;  for 
the  whole  gnomon  preponderates  in  C  on  account 
of  the  perpendicular  tangent  B  A;  which  effect 
becomes  more  marked  if  a  globe  of  iron  S  be  sup- 
posed suspended  at  C.  As  therefore  the  whole  of 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  345 

this  mass,  as  well  from  the  supports  of  the  bal- 
ance as  from  the  momentary  diameter,  hangs  sus- 
pended at  C,  and  the  vertex  A,  on  account  of  the 
firm  beam  D  E,  cannot  fall  from  the  centre  of  the 
universe ;  it  comes  to  pass  that  all  points  as  well 
of  the  globe  S,  as  of  the  gnomon  ABC,  with  a 
continual  motion  turn  round  A ;  but  because,  by 
the  line  B  A  in  the  fixed  point  A,  they  are  held 
from  falling  to  the  centre;  therefore  the  greatest 
force  of  that  tendency  is  exerted  in  the  line  B, 
and  induces  it  to  inclination ;  which  inclination  on 
account  of  the  continuous  solidity  of  the  gnomon 
cannot  be  at  all  abated,  so  that  the  whole  impetus 
is  exerted  either  at  the  point  A  about  the  movable 
beam  or  at  the  movable  poles  of  the  beam  D  and 
E ;  which  poles  being  free  in  their  sockets  D  and 
E,  abandon  themselves  to  the  motion  of  Nature, 
and  thus  do  not  in  any  wise  hinder  a  perpetual 
circular  motion.  What  indeed  is  self-evident  in 
this,  reason  confirms,  and  daily  experience  in 
statics  manifests.  For  if  a  short  gnomon  stand 
either  on  the  terrestrial  superficies  M  N,  O  P,  or 
Q  R;  it  will  always  fall  towards  the  part  C,  or  N, 
by  the  preponderating  portion  M  K  C ;  which  is 
manifested  in  daily  experiments. 

Thence  it  is  evident  that  if  the  gnomon  were 
entire,  the  force  which  it  exerts  at  N  would  pass 
into  the  line  B  A  still  hanging  over  the  centre. 
And  this  is  one  argument.  The  other  is  from  the 
contrary.  For  if  an  equal  and  similar  gnomon 
were  attached  towards  the  part  D,  then  the  whole 
mass  hanging  on  its  centre  would  remain  in 
equilibrium  and  there  would  be  no  motion ;  conse- 


346  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

quently  the  one  half  being  taken  away,  the  other 
would  necessarily  move  according  to  the  laws  and 
experience  of  statics.  If  the  shortened  gnomon 
M  B  C  N  were  bound  only  to  the  point  M,  the  rest 
being  left  free,  it  would  certainly  revolve,  and  in 
the  same  case,  the  point  C  would  describe  almost 
a  semicircular  arc  till,  coming  down  to  a  perpen- 
dicular position,  it  would  there  remain. 

Now  as  the  force  of  the'  entire  gnomon  falls 
in  the  vertex  A,  there  would  be  an  entire  and  per- 
petual revolution  around  A.  Much  more  would 
this  be  the  case  if  on  the  centre  C  stood  either  the 
small  curve  A  C  L  A  or  the  larger  one  A  K  C, 
or  finally  the  globe  S' alone,  hanging  from  two 
iron  rods  A  B  and  B  C,  or  from  one  arc,  A  N  C. 
From  this,  therefore,  it  may  be  demonstrated  that 
a  perpetual  circular  motion  is  possible. 

In  1825,  the  following  was  contributed  to 
and  published  in  "Mechanics'  Magazine."  We 
are  unable  to  give  the  name  of  the  contributor, 
but  he  writes  in  encouragement  of  Perpetual  Mo- 
tion. The  gist  of  his  article  is  as  follows : 

We  can  now,  however,  soar  above  the  clouds, 
explore  the  depths  of  the  ocean,  and  skim  over  its 
surface.  *  *  *  And  be  it  remembered  that 
we  owe  these  and  many  other  advantages  to  a 
few  persevering  individuals  who  were,  in  all 
probability,  stigmatized  as  chimerical  visionaries 
by  those  who  seem  to  have  an  unconquerable  pro- 
pensity to  condemn  .everything  above  the  level  of 
their  own  understanding. 

If  by  perpetual  motion  nothing  more  is  meant 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  347 

than  the  putting  in  motion  some  of  the  most 
durable  substances  with  which  we  are  acquainted, 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  ensure  a  continuance  of 
motion  as  long  as  those  substances  will  resist  the 
effects  of  time  and  friction,  I  do  not  despair  of 
seeing  it  accomplished.  *  *  *  [He  thinks 
there  is]  reasonable  ground  to  hope  that  the  time 
is  not  far  distant  when  even  this  impossibility 
must  yield  to  persevering  ingenuity.  In  the  pres- 
ent state  of  public  opinion  with  regard  to  its  prac- 
ticability, it  would  be  looked  upon  as  an  empty 
boast,  were  I  to  assert  that  the  discovery  is  al- 
ready made. 

T.  H.  Pasley 

T.  H.  Pasley  in  1824,  contributed  an  article 
to  "Mechanics'  Magazine,"  asserting  the  possi- 
bility of  Perpetual  Motion.  The  following  ex- 
cerpts give  the  substance  of  his  article : 

I  feel  no  hesitation  in  standing  up  in. support 
of  this  grand  desideratum, — this  almost  forsaken 
friend  of  science, — whether  the  thing  be  prac- 
ticable or  not. 

On  the  contrary,  "Persevere"  should  be 
every  one's  advice ;  to  do  so,  or  discontinue,  every 
one's  own  pleasure.  And  why  should  the  impos- 
sibility of  anything  be  pronounced  unless  it  be  es- 
tablished wherein  the  limits  of  possibility  consist  ? 

It  is  puerile  in  the  extreme  to  be  foretelling 
defeat  when  so  many  other  objects  may  be  gained 
by  the  highly  laudable  pursuit,  perhaps  of  greater 
advantage  to  society  at  large  than  the  discov.ery 
in  question.  *  *  *  In  a  word,  were  the  per- 


348  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

petual  motion  discovered  tomorrow,  it  would  be 
wise  of  all  the  governments  of  the  world  to  offer 
a  very  high  reward  for  some  species  of  discovery 
that  would  be  universally  sought  after,  although 
it  might  never  be  found  out.  *  *  *  The 
effects  of  industry  are — enlargement  of  the  mind, 
accumulation  of  knowledge,  and  rendering  our- 
selves ignorant  of  the  torments  which  idleness 
and  dulness  always  engender.  *  *  *  In  the 
next  place,  there  are  no  solid  grounds  for  the  as- 
sertion that  the  discovery  of  a  perpetual  motion 
is  an  impossibility.  In  the  present  state  of  human 
knowledge  respecting  the  powers  of  nature,  it  is 
not  demonstrable  one  way  or  another.  *  *  * 
The  stucly  of  what  relates  to  the  perpetual  motion 
has  this  great  advantage,  that  it  directs  to  the 
discovery  of  error  as  well  as  of  truth;  whereas, 
what  are  they  which  are  called  truths  of  science 
at  present  but  vacillating  human  opinions,  or 
erroneous  assumptions  of  what  we  call  natural 
causes?  What  are  they  but  such  as  consist  in 
mere  assumption,  sanctioned  by  time,  and  ad- 
mitted by  existing  authorities  in  science,  and  of 
course  generally  acquiesced  in,  without  previous 
investigation  ? 

So  far,  then,  from  being  guided  in  our  de- 
cision respecting  what  is  possible  by  the  "unerring 
laws  of  nature,"  by  "mathematical  demonstra- 
tion," and  by  "experimental  proofs,"  we  are  con- 
tinually misled  by  an  erroneous  faith  in  the  non- 
entity, attraction. 

On  such  an  imperfect  knowledge  of  the 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  349 

causes  of  phenomena,  who  should  say  he  knows 
what  can  or  what  cannot  be  discovered? 

Article  From  Pamphleteer 

In  the  "Pamphleteer,"  published  in  London, 
the  following  by  a  correspondent  whose  name  we 
cannot  give  was  published  in  March  of  1822 : 

"A  few  words  inducing  towards  the  discov- 
ery of  Perpetual  Motion,  perhaps  the  actual  dis- 
covery thereof:" 

London,  March,  1822. 

What  is  meant  by  the  term  "Perpetual  Mo- 
tion?" Is  it  supposed  that  there  is  an  undis- 
covered substance  in  the  world,  that  will  of  itself 
perpetually  move,  with  as  little  apparent  cause  as 
that  which  actuates  the  needle  in  becoming  mo- 
tionless in  one  particular  position?  Or,  is  it  to 
be  found  in  the  combined  reaction  of  mechanical 
powers  ? 

The  first  idea  is  stamped  with  a  degree  of 
probability,  by  the  mystery  of  the  needle;  yet  I 
imagine  the  latter  is  relied  on  with  the  greater 
confidence  of  mankind,  and  is  the  pith  of  the 
following  few  words : 

It  is  well  known  that  the  weight  of  a  pendu- 
lum will  almost  regain  the  level  from  which  it  de- 
scended, losing  a  little  space  at  every  vibration, 
until  it  becomes  motionless;  if  of  itself  it  could 
exceed  or  even  regain  the  level,  doubtless  it  would 
become  a  perpetual  motion. 

To  find  a  power  that  will  aid  the  motion  of 
the  pendulum,  and  in  conjunction  renew  its 


350  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

strength,  is  what  is  wanted  to  create  perpetual 
motion. 

What  I  shall  endeavor  to  explain  will  at  least 
induce  towards  the  discovery  of  this  power. 

The  principal  parts  of  the  machinery  about 
to  be  shown  are  in  number  three : 

A  vibrating  pendulum. 

A  revolving  pendulum,  and 

A  tubular  lever. 

A  vibrating  pendulum  in  motion  describes  a 
segment  of  a  circle,  and  returns  on  the  same  seg- 
ment, and  at  every  vibration  its  described  seg- 
ment decreases. 

A  revolving  pendulum  is  composed  of  two  or 
more  pendulums,  united  at  their  lighter  extrem- 
ities, there  revolving  on  an  axis,  the  heavier  ex- 
tremities being  placed  at  equal  distances  in  the 
outer  circle:  this,  I  believe,  is  what  is  termed  a 
fly-wheel  when  affixed  to  hand-mills,  etc. 

The  tubular  lever  is  the  chief  instigator  of 
the  whole,  and  must  contain  a  weight  apportioned 
to  the  weights  of  the  two  pendulums. 

Fix  the  lever  on  a  cross  axis;  thus,  on  an 
axis  within  a  circle,  the  circle  on  an  axis  at  oppo- 
site angles,  thereby  is  given  to  each  extremity  of 
the  lever  a  revolving  power  of  motion ;  attach  one 
extremity  of  the  lever  to  the  outer  circle  of  a 
revolving  pendulum,  the  other  extremity  confine 
within  the  bar  of  the  vibrating  pendulum;  thus 
combined,  the  effect  to  be  produced  when  put  in 
motion  will  be  this : 

The  two  pendulums  will  guide  the  motion  of 
the  lever,  which  then  partakes  of  the  power  of  a 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  351 

pendulum,  giving  fresh  impulse  at  every  vibration 
of  the  pendulum,  and  every  half  revolution  of  the 
revolving  pendulum;  for,  as  each  extremity  of 
the  lever  rises,  the  weight  within  falls  to  the 
opposite  extremity,  and  gives  fresh  impulse  to  the 
whole:  thus  (if  my  idea  is  correct)  will  be  pro- 
duced motion  perpetual — that  is  to  say,  perpetual 
so  long  as  the  materials  of  which  it  is  made  will 
hold  together.  I  have  given  this  short  descrip- 
tion merely  by  way  of  example,  as  I  believe  there 
are  several  ways  of  combining  these  three  powers, 
so  as  to  produce  perpetual  motion,  if  my  idea  on 
the  subject  is  correct. 

The  lever  may  contain  mercury  or  a  solid  orb 
of  heavy  substance ;  and  if  the  tube  be  exhausted 
of  air  the  weight  will  pass  more  freely,  and  cer- 
tainly increase  the  power  of  the  lever. 

J.  Welch 

In  1825  the  following  article  was  published 
in  "Mechanics'  Magazine,"  having  been  contrib- 
uted by  J.  Welch : 

Those  who  condemn  the  notion  altogether 
seem  to  have  taken  but  a  very  confined  view  of 
the  subject.  What  they  say  about  mere  matter  is 
right  enough;  but  they  seem  to  forget  that  there 
are  other  active  agents  in  nature  which  possess 
wonderful  powers,  that  have  nothing  to  do  with 
either  bulk,  weight,  or  form.  Such  are  electricity, 
magnetic  attraction,  capillary  attraction,  and  the 
irregular  pressure  of  the  atmosphere.  The 
powers  of  electricity  are  great,  and,  indeed,  it 
seems  to  be  the  primum  mobile  that  gives  life  and 


352  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

motion  to  the  animated  part  of  the  creation.  Dr. 
Franklin  shows  us  how  to  give  a  circular  coated 
plate,  revolving  on  an  axle,  sufficient  power  to 
roast  a  chicken,  merely  by  once  changing  (charg- 
ing?) it.  Could  not  a  plate  of  this  kind  be  made 
to  turn  a  small  electrical  apparatus,  so  situated  as 
to  keep  the  charge  in  the  plate  always  at  its 
maximum  ?  The  whole  might  be  kept  dry  by  hav- 
ing it  enclosed  in  a  glass  case. 

It  has  often  been  attempted  to  give  motion  to 
a  wheel  by  the  power  of  a  loadstone,  but  hitherto 
without  effect;  no  substance  in  nature  being 
found  to  have  the  power,  by  interposition,  of  cut- 
ting off  its  attractive  property.  Still  I  think  it 
should  be  further  investigated.  Is  a  small  piece 
of  steel  in  the  form  of  a  wedge  as  strongly  at- 
tracted at  the  smaller  end  as  at  the  thicker  ?  And 
would  not  twenty  or  thirty  pieces  of  steel,  of  that 
form,  placed  round  the  circumference  of  a  circle, 
the  point  of  one  towards  the  head  of  the  other, 
cause  a  magnet  placed  in  the  centre,  to  revolve  in 
the  direction  in  which  their  points  lie?  I  think, 
perhaps  not ;  but  still  such  experiments  should  be 
tried. 

In  capillary  attraction  we  have  a  power  that 
at  once  raises  fluids  above  their  level.  It  is  this 
which  carries  the  oil  up  the  wick  of  a  lamp  as  fast 
as  the  flame  consumes  it.  Water  and  other  fluids 
rise  through  cotton  even  quicker  than  oil ;  and  he 
who  can  contrive  to  collect  them  as  they  arrive  at 
the  top  will  discover  perpetual  motion.  Would 
not  water  run  constantly  through  a  siphon,  one 
which  was  made  of  a  collection  of  capillary 


PERPETUAL  MOTION  353 

tubes,  and  the  other  in  the  usual  way?  or  would 
the  water  above  and  below  the  tubes  neutralize 
and  destroy  their  power? 

I  now  come  to  the  pressure  of  the  atmos- 
phere, a  thing  easily  understood.  *  *  *  Make 
a  cast-iron  barometrical  tube,  with  a  top  suffir 
ciently  large  to  contain  2  cwt.  of  mercury ;  invert 
it  in  a  basin  large  enough  to  contain  2  or  3  cwt. 
more,  and  let  a  piece  of  iron  of  10  or  12  stones 
weight  float  on  the  mercury  in  this  basin,  so  as  to 
rise  and  fall  along  with  it  at  every  change  of  the 
weather.  We  have  here  both  motion  and  power. 
The  motion,  indeed,  will  sometimes  stand  still, 
but  then  it  can  easily  be  regulated,  and  made  a 
constant  quantity  in  the  machine  to  be  attached. 
I  have  no  doubt  but  clocks,  etc..,  may  be  made  to 
derive  their  chiming  principle  from  a  contrivance 
of  this  nature. 

Article  From  Mechanics'  Magazine 

In  1831,  the  following  article  was  con- 
tributed by  an  unknown  correspondent  to,  and 
published  in  "Mechanics'  Magazine": 

"Yes ;  we  shall  conquer !    All  those  dangers  past 
Will  serve  to  enrich  the  future  story." 

The  application  to  the  subject,  on  my  part, 
has  been  accompanied  by  continual  experimental 
elucidations  of  the  subjects  considered,  and  com- 
parisons of  these  with  the  axioms,  theorems,  and 
demonstrations  of  one  of  the  best  authorities,  if  I 


354  PERPETUAL  MOTION 

may  be  allowed  so  to  call  my  favorite  author, 
Emerson,  whose  /  says  are  generally  correct. 

I  disagree  with  Mr.  B.,  and  do  trust  that  even 
a  perpetual  motion  seeker  might  deserve  en- 
couragement, if  it  be  found  that  such  a  character 
may  exist  in  a  person  who  is  not  so  ignorant  of 
first  principles  as  Mr.  B.  supposes  all  are  who 
have  this  bias ;  especially  if  it  be  found  that  the 
person's  researches  have  been  connected  with 
subjects  of  a  more  tangible  nature,  relating  to  the 
improvement  of  the  useful  arts,  and  particularly 
to  some  modern  inventions  of  high  importance 
that  are  not  perfectly  correct  in  their  construc- 
tion. 

In  this  article,  Mr.  B.  advises  those  who  are 
misspending  their  time  in  this  pursuit,  to  consider 
the  question  in  its  most  simple  form,  divested  of 
more  complicated  operations,  which  simple  form 
is  that  of  a  pulley  accurately  constructed  so  as  to 
reduce  the  resistance  to  motion  as  much  as  pos- 
sible. He  says,  "it  will  be  found,  as  long  as  the 
weights  are  equal/'  there  will  be  no  motion  pro- 
duced, but  wherever  the  weights  are  placed  they 
will  remain;  and  to  produce  vertical  motion  in 
the  smallest  degree,  it  will  be  necessary  to  add  a 
weight  to  one  of  the  former  to  create  a  preponder- 
ancy.  This  weight  he  calls  the  mechanical  loss, 
and  an  insurmountable  bar  to  perpetual  motion, 
etc.  We  need  not  follow  Mr.  B.  to  his  conclusion, 
as  I  think  this  insurmountable  bar  can  be  easily 
removed;  and  I  shall  be  able  to  show  that  this 
equilibrium,  for  such  it  merely  is,  can  be  de- 
stroyed without  adding  to  one  of  the  weights,  or 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 


355 


absolutely  taking  from  the  other;  though  this 
may  virtually  be  considered  to  be  the  case,  inas- 
much as  we  can  at  least  produce  an  effect  on  the 
system  as  if  the  weight  were  reduced.  Mr.  B. 
says,  under  this  arrangement,  "wherever  the 
weights  are  placed  they  will  remain,  unless  an 
addition  is  made  to  one  of  them."  We  will  there- 
fore suppose  the  following  diagram  to  represent 
the  arrangement  on  a  small  scale,  delicately  con- 
structed. 

A  B  are  the  two  weights  con- 
nected to  each  other  by  the  string 
passing  over  the  pulley,  and  being 
nicely  equalized  in  their  weight, 
here  would,  of  course,  be  an  equi- 
librium on  the  principle  of  the  lever. 
But  take  a  flat  piece  of  wood,  such 
as  a  ruler,  and  place  it  obliquely  in 
a  way  so  as  not  to  interfere  with 
the  pulley  m  in  the  direction  d,  and 
then  bring  the  weight  to  impinge 
upon  it  in  a  way  so  as  not  to  move 
the  weight  A  m,  C  d,  the  least,  or 
alter  its  position.  What  will  be  the 
consequence?  Some  would  say, 
why,  the  weight  A  would  then  de- 
scend, and  cause  the  weight  B  to 
ascend.  But  I  should  rather  say,  the  reaction  of 
the  plane  when  acted  on  by  the  weight  B,  having 
destroyed  the  equilibrium  of  the  forces,  motion 
takes  place.  Now,  if  we  attribute  this  motion  to 
the  reaction  of  the  plane  on  the  weight,  though 
we  will  not  go  so  far  as  to  say  motion  is  gener- 


356  PERPETUAL   MOTION 

ated,  yet  if  we  say,  by  this  simple  arrangement 
the  equilibrium  is  destroyed  and  motion  takes 
place,  the  least  we  can  admit  is,  that  motion  is 
communicated  to  the  system,  and  that  by  the 
agency  of  part  of  the  machine  itself,  the  appar- 
atus employed  being  considered  as  such.  Then, 
why  so  much  objection  to  the  term  self -moving 
machine  in  limited  sense?  But  I  will  not  dispute 
about  words,  which  are  but  the  images  of  things, 
and  images  may  be  strangely  distorted  by  the 
medium  through  which  they  are  received — of 
which  distorting  mediums,  there  is  none  equal  to 
that  of  prejudice  in  favor  of  abstract  notions — 
which  notions  perhaps,  if  rigidly  examined,  would 
be  found  to  have  no  foundation  in  facts  or  in 
common  sense. 

Another  demonstrator  of  the  impossibility 
of  perpetual  motion,  is  Mr.  Mackinnon  (see  "Me- 
chanical Magazine,"  Vol.  1,  Page  363).  As 
no  doubt  the  different  attempts  to  produce,  or 
communicate  ,  continued  and  perpetual  motion,  at  • 
least,  such  as  are  often  brought  forward  by  per- 
sons unacquainted  with  the  science  of  mechanics, 
are  generally  to  those  who  are  acquainted  with 
that  science,  if  not  absolutely  ridiculous,  yet  of  a 
nature  to  excite  a  smile  at  their  futility:  still 
there  are  a  few  (perhaps  a  very  few)  who  enter- 
tain an  opinion  that  such  a  thing  is  not  imprac- 
ticable, and  who  have,  from  practical  experience 
as  well  as  study,  acquired  a  tolerable  insight  into 
the  laws  of  nature  (so  far  as  relate  to  this  sub- 
ject) ;  who  in  their  turn  cannot  help  smiling  at 
the  weak  reasoning  of  some  other  would-be  phil- 


PERPETUAL   MOTION  357 

osophers,  who  gravely  give  their  dictum  in  the 
case.  In  this  class  I  include  Mr.  Mackinnon,  who 
very  gravely  goes  to  work  to  prove,  etc.,  and  flat- 
ters himself  he  shall,  if  rightly  understood,  help 
to  prevent  much  future  waste  of  time  on  the  sub- 
ject. He  then  goes  on  to  give  us  his  definition  of 
inertia,  by  which  he  informs  us  that  a  body  in  a 
state  of  rest  will  remain  so  until  it  is  moved 
(wonderful!) — that  it  cannot  move  itself — that 
it  has  not  that  power — and  that  no  mechanical 
contrivance  can  give  it  that  power.  (How  pro- 
found!) 


SUMMARIZED  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

Page 

Introduction 3 

Contents   5-6 

Preface    7-10 

Introductory  Essay 11-21 

CHAPTER      I— DEVICES      BY      MEANS      OF 
WHEELS  AND  WEIGHTS— 

Wilars  De  Honecort;  A  Repetition  of  Wilars 
Honecort's  plan;  Leonardo  da  Vinci;  A.  Cap- 
ra's  Device;  The  Device  of  Dixon  Vallance; 
Furman's  Device;  Schirrmeister's  "Mechanical 
Movement;"  James  Ferguson's  Device;  B.  Beli- 
dor's  Device;  Desagulier's  Proposition  on  the 
Balance;  John  Hay  wood's  Device;  Explanation 
of  the  Failure  of  Wheels  and  Weights  Devices 
to  Accomplish  Perpetual  Motion 22-67 

CHAPTER  II— DEVICES  BY  MEANS  OF  ROLL- 
ING'WEIGHTS  AND  INCLINED  PLANES— 

Device  by  Mercury  in  Inclined  Glass  Tube  and 
Heavy  Ball  on  Inclined  Plane;  Series  of  In- 
clined Planes;  Devices  by  Oscillating  Trough 
and  Cannon  Balls;  Unpublished  Inclined  Plane 
and  Weights  Devices  Noted  by  the  Author 68—75 

CHAPTER  III— HYDRAULIC  AND  HYDRO-ME- 
CHANICAL DEVICES— 

Enbon  and  Anderson's  Pump;  Device  of  ""Ed. 
Vocis  Rationis;"  Bockler's  Plates;  John  Lin- 
ley's  Hydraulic  Device;  Device  of  Author  of 
the  "Voice  of  Reason;"  An  Italian  Device;  P. 
Valentine  Stansel's  Device;  Vogel's  Device;  A 
Water  Wheel-Driven  Pump;  "A  Journeyman 
Mechanic's"  Device;  James  Black's  Device; 
Archimedean  Screw  and  Liquid;  John  Sims's 
Problem;  A  Perpetual  Pump,  by  an  Unknown 
Inventor;  Explanation  of  the  Failure  of  Hy- 
draulic and  Hydro-Mechanical  Devices  to  Ac- 
complish Perpetual  Motion 76-117 


SUMMARIZED  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS          359 

CHAPTER  IV— PNEUMATIC,  SIPHON  AND 
HYDRO-PNEUMATIC  DEVICES— 

Page 

The  Hydrostatical  Paradox;  Pickering's  Device; 
Stuckey's  Device;  Prof.  George  Sinclair's  De- 
vice; Jacob  Brazill's  Device;  Laserson's  Device; 
VonRathen  &  Ellis'  Device;  Richard  Varley's 
Device;  Siphon  and  Funnel  Device;  Orchard's 
Vacuum  Engine;  Robert  Copland's  Device;  Ea- 
ton's Ptrpetual  Siphon;  Legge's  ^Hydro-Pneu- 
matic  Power  Device;  Waterblowing  Machine; 
Device  by  Means  of  Buoyancy  Through  Media 
of  Different  Densities;  Device  by  Compressible 
and  Distensible  Bags  in  Liquid;  George  Cun- 
ningham's Mercurial  Pneumatic  Device;  Ex- 
planation of  the  Failure  of  Pneumatic,  Siphon 
and  Hydro-Pneumatic  Devices  to  Accomplish 
Perpetual  Motion 118-162 

CHAPTER  V— MAGNETIC  DEVICES— 

A  Magnetic  Pendulum;  Magnetic-Driven  Wheel; 
Mackintosh's  Experiment;  Spence's  Device; 
Joannis  Theisneri's  Semi-Circle;  Device  of  Dr. 
Jacobus  163-174 

CHAPTER  VI— DEVICES  UTILIZING  CAPIL- 
LARY ATTRACTION  AND  PHYSICAL 
AFFINITY— 

Ludeke  &  Wilcken's  Device;  the  Jurin  Device; 
Sir  William  Congreve,  Notice  of;  His  Perpetual 
Motion  Devices  and  Writings 175-194 

CHAPTER  VII— LIQUID  AIR  AS  A  MEANS  OF 
PERPETUAL  MOTION— 

Liquefaction  of  Air;  Explanation  of  Conserva- 
tion of  Energy  Aplied  to;  Perpetual  Motion  by 
Means  of  Liquid  Air  Pompously  Heralded;  Fail- 
ure Explained 195-196 

CHAPTER  VIII— RADIUM  AND  RADIO-ACTIVE 
SUBSTANCES  CONSIDERED  AS  A  CON- 
CEIVED SOURCE  OF  PERPETUAL  MO- 
TION— 

Perpetual  Emanation  of  Energy;  Radium  Clock 
by  Lord  Rayleigh  (Hon.  R.  J.  Strutt);  Lord 
Rayleigh  Not  a  Perpetual  Motion  Worker  but 
Thoroughly  Scientific 197-199 


360  SUMMARIZED  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  IX— PERPETUAL  MOTION  DEVICES 
ATTEMPTING   ITS   ATTAINMENT    BY   A 
MISCONCEPTION    OF    THE    RELATION 
OF  MOMENTUM  AND  ENERGY— 

Page 

Works  of  Tyros  Known  to  Author;  Momentum 
Defined,  Differentiated,  Measured  and  Ex- 
plained; Energy  Defined,  Differentiated,  Meas- 
sured  and  Explained;  Explanation,  by  Author  of 
Common  Misconception  of  the  Relation  of  Mo- 
mentum and  Energy  and  Attempts  to  thus  Real- 
ize Perpetual  Motion;  the  Fallacy  Explained 
by  Illustrations  of  Energy  Required  for  and 
Represented  by  Acceleration  and  Retardation  of 
Velocity;  Property  of  Numbers  Relating  to; 
Arithmetical  Progression  Illustration 200-211 

CHAPTER  X— THE  ALLEGED  INVENTIONS 
OF  EDWARD  SOMMERSET,  SIXTH  EARL 
AND  SECOND  MARQUIS  OF  WORCES- 
TER, AND  OF  TEAN  ERNEST  ELI-BESS- 
LER  (COUNCILLOR)  ORFFYREUS— 

Intense  Interest  Caused  by;  Notice  of  Marquis 
of  Worcester  and  Councillor  Orffyreus  and  Pe- 
riods in  Which  They  Lived;  Description  by 
Marquis  of  Worcester  of  the  Essentials  of  His 
Claimed  Inventions;  Excerpts  From  Remarks 
of  Councillor  Orffyreus  on  His  Claimed  Inven- 
tion; Dedication  by  Councillor  Orffyreus  to  God, 
the  Public,  to  Men  of  Learning  and  to  Himself 
as  the  Discoverer;  Article  Concerning  the  Orffy- 
rean  Wheel  Published  1720  in  Gentlemen's  Mag- 
azine; Criticism  by  "A  Constant  Reader"  of 
Attitude  of  W.  Kenrick  Concerning  the  Orffy- 
rean  Wheel;  Article  by  Rev.  J.  T.  Desagulier 
Concerning  the  Device  of  Marquis  of  Worces- 
ter and  the  Orffyrean  Wheel;  Excerpt  from  Dr. 
William  Kenrick's  Lecture  on  Perpetual  Mo- 
tion; De  la  Hire's  Remarks  Concerning  Per- 
petual Motion;  Letter  from  Prof.  fs  Gravesande 
to  Sir  Isaac  Newton;  Animadversions  of  Prof. 
Alliman  on  the  Neglect  of  the  Orffyrean  in- 
ventions; Dr.  Charles  Hutton's  Scientific  Works 
and  Notice  of  the  Orffyrean  Wheel;  Remarks 
by  the  Author  on  the  Historical  Celebrity  of 
These  Inventions 212-255 


SUMMARIZED  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS  361 

CHAPTER  XI— CONSERVATION  OF  ENERGY 
A   DISCUSSION  OF  THE   RELATION   OF 
THE  DOCTRINE  OF  CONSERVATION  OF 
ENERGY,    AND    THE    POSSIBILITY    OF 
PERPETUAL  MOTION— 

Page 

Statement  of  Doctrine  of  Conservation  of  En- 
ergy; Upon  What  Pfoof  of  Doctrine  Rests; 
Not  Mathematically  Proved;  Conforms  to  Nat- 
ural Phenomena;  Multiplied  Illustrations;  Inter- 
changeability  and  Convertibility  of  Heat  with 
Mechanical  and  Other  Forms  of  Energy;  Ex- 
planation of  Heat  and  Energy  Units,  and  Their 
Relative  Equivalents;  British  Thermal  Unit, 
Foot-Pound  and  Horse-Power  and  Their  Mu- 
tual Relationship  Explained;  Further  Illustra- 
tions; Galileo's  Famous  Pendulum  Experiment; 
Apparent  Anticipation  of  the  Principle  of  Con- 
servation of  Energy 256-269 

CHAPTER   XII— WILL   PERPETUAL   MOTION 
EVER  BE  ACCOMPLISHED?— 

The  Antiquity  of  the  Problem;  Remarks  by 
Dircks,  Newton,  Galileo,  Huyghens  and  Des- 
cartes; Generalizations  of;  Remarks  by  Au- 
thor Concerning  the  Possibility  of  Perpetual 
Motion.  Comments  from  Other  Sources: 

1  Denying  the  Possibility  of  Perpetual  Motion, 
— Article  by  Dr.  Papin;  Article  by  Rev.  John 
Wilkins;  Article  Based  on  Paradoxical  Hydro- 
statical  Balance;  Article  by  P.  Gregorio  Fpn- 
tana;  Article  by  William  Nicholson;  Article 
Published  in  "The  Artisan";  Article  Published 
in  "Mechanic's  Magazine." 

2  Asserting  the  Possibility  of  Perpetual  Motion, 
— Scriptural  Argument;  Article  by  John  Bern- 
oulli; Article    by    P.    Christopher    Scheiner; 
Article  by  T.  H.  Pasley;  Article  Published  in 
"The  .  Pamphleteer";    Article    by    J.    Welch; 
Article  Published  in  "Mechanic's  Magazine".. 270-357 


INDEX 

Page 
Air  (See  Liquid  Air). 

"A  Journeyman  Mechanic's"  Device 99 

Allaman's  Animadversions  on  the  Neglect  of  Orffyreus's 

Inventions    239 

Anderson   &  Enbom's   Pump 76 

Archimedean  Screw  and  Liquid,  Device  by  Means  of..  ..   104 
"Artisan,  The,"  Article  Published  in 329 

Bags    in   Liquid,    Compressible   and    Distensible,    Device 

by   Means    of 155 

Bellidor,  B.,  His  Account  of  Perpetual  Motion  Device...     46 
Bernoulli,  John,   Notice  of,  336;  Arguments  Supporting 

Possibility  of  Perpetual   Motion 336 

Black,  James,  His  Device. 102 

Bockler,  George  Andrew,  His  Plates 81 

Buoyancy  Through  Media  of  Different  Densities 151 

Brewster,  Sir  David,  Edited  Lectures  of  James  Ferguson, 
44;  In  Appendix  to  Ferguson's  Lectures  Gives  De- 
scription of  "Water-Blowing  Machine,"  148;  Is  At- 
tracted by  Spence's  Device,  and  Writes  Letter  Af- 
fording Description  of  Same 170 

British  Patents,  58;  120;  121;  125;  127;  129;  132 140 

British  Thermal  Unit  Denned  and  Explained 264 

Cannon  Balls  and  Oscillating  Trough 71 

Capillary  Attraction   and   Physical   Affinity,   Devices   by 

Means  of  (See  Table  of  Contents) 5 

Capra,  A.,   His    Device 32 

Compressible  and  Distensible  Bags  in  Liquid 155 

Congreve,  Sir  William,  Notice  of;  His  Perpetual  Motion 

Devices    182 

Conservation  of  Energy,  Its  Relation  to  Possibility  of 
Perpetual  Motion  (See  Table  of  Contents),  5;  Con- 
sidered with  Reference  to  Perpetual  Motion,  269; 
Proof  and  Illustration  of,  200;  Anticipated  by  New- 
ton, Galileo,  Huyghens  and  Descartes 272 

Copland,    Robert,    His    "Improved    Method    of    Gaining 

Power"    140 

Cunningham,  George,  His  "Mercurial  Pneumatic  De- 
vice"   157 

"Darius  Green  and  His  Flying  Machine" 16 

Desagulier,  Rev.  J.  T.,  Proposition  on  the  Balance,  47; 
Article  of,  Concerning  the  Device  of  Marquis  of 
Worcester  and  the  Orffyrean  Wheel. 223 


INDEX  363 

•  Page 

Dircks,  Henry,  Title  Page  Mention,  3;  His  Books  Men- 
tioned, 7;  Comments  by  Author  on  His  Works,  8; 
Information  Furnished  by,  Rearranged,  9;  His  Class- 
ification of  Devices,  19;  His  "Life,  Times  and  Scien- 
tific Labors  of  the  Second  Marquis  of  Worcester," 
213;  Excerpt  from,  228;  His  Statement  Concerning 
Arguments  For  and  Against  the  Possibility  of  Per- 
petual Motion,  270;  Arguments  by  Others  For  and 
Against  the  Possibility  of  Perpetual  Motion,  Pub- 
lished by  Dircks,  Copied  in  This  Work 274 

Eaton's  Perpetual  Siphon 145 

"Ed.  Vocis  -Rationis,"  His  Device 78 

Ellis,  George  Henry  (See  Rathen  &  Ellis) 
Energy  (See  Momentum  and  Energy). 
Energy,  Conservation  of  (See  Conservation  of  Energy). 
Energy  and  Heat  Convertible  and  Commensurable. . . .     262 
Energy  Defined,  Explained  and  Distinguished  from  Mo- 
mentum     203 

Enbom  and  Anderson's  Pump. . 76 

Explanation  by  Author  of  Failure  of  Hydraulic  and 
Hydro-Mechanical  Devices,  112;  of  the  Failure  of 
Pneumatic,  Siphon  and  Hydro-Pneumatic  Devices, 
159  of  the  Failure  of  Momentum  and  Energy  De- 
vices, 206;  of  Failure  of  Wheels  and  Weights  Devices  61 

Failures  (See  Explanation  of  Failures). 

Ferguson,  James;  "Peasant  Boy  Philosopher,"  His  De- 
vice   ' 43 

Fontana,  P.  Gregorio,  Notice  of;  His  Arguments  on  the 

Impossibility  of  Perpetual  Motion 306 

Foot-Pound,  Defined  and  Explained 265 

Furman,  George  H.,  "A  New  and  Improved  Motor," 
U,  S.  Patent 36 

Gallileo,  His  Pendulum  Experiment 267 

Gravesande,  Prof.  S.,  Letter  to  Sir  Isaac  Newton 236 

Haywood,   John,   His   Device 58 

Heat  and  Energy  Convertible  and  Commensurable 261 

Helmholtz,    Notice    of 258 

Honecort,  Willars  de,  Account  of  His  Device 22 

Horse-Power,    Defined   and    Explained 264 

Hydro-Pneumatic  Devices  (See  Table  of  Contents) 5 

Hydrostatical  Paradox  118 

Hydrostatical  Paradoxical  Balance,  Article  on 305 

Hydraulic  and  Hydro-Pneumatic  Devices  (See  Table  of 

Contents)    5 

Inclined    Planes    and    Rolling    Weights    (See    Table    of 

Contents) 5 


364  INDEX 

Page 
Inclined    Planes    and     Weights     Devices,     Unpublished. 

Noted  by  the  Author 73 

Inclined    Planes,    Series    of 69 

Italian   Device,   An 92 

Introductory  Essay   11 

Jacobus,  Dr.,  His  Magnetic  Device 173 

Joule,    Notice   of 258 

Jurin's  Device 176 

Kenrick,  Dr.  William,  His  Remarks  Concerning  the  In- 
ventions of  the  Marquis  of  Worcester  and  Councillor 
Orffyreus  and  Perpetual  Motion  in  General 228 

Langley,  Prof.  Samuel  P.,  His  Attempts  and  Labors  at 

Heavier  Than  Air  Flight 14 

Lardner,  Ignatius,  Attempts  to  Show  Impossibility  of 

Crossing  Ocean  With  Steam  Power 14 

Leonardo  da  Vinci  (See  Vinci). 

Laserson,  Louis  Diodor,  His  "Improvements  in  Produc- 
tion of  Motive  Power" 127 

Legge's  Hydro-Pneumatic  Power  Device 146 

Linley,   John,   His   Hydraulic   Device 87 

Liquid  Air,  ^as  a  Means  of^  Perpetual  Motion 195 

Lord  Rayleigh  (See  Rayleigh).  . 

Mackintosh,  F.  S.,  Experiment  by 166 

Magnetic  Devices  (See  Table  of  Contents) 5 

Magnetic-Driven    Wheel 164 

Magnetic  Pendulum 163 

Magnetic  Semi-Circle    172 

Mechanic,  A  Journeyman  (See  "A  Journeyman  Me- 
chanic")- 

Mechanics'  Magazine,  Article  Published  in .278;  353 

Media    of    Different    Densities,    Devices    by    Means    of 

Buoyancy  Through 151 

Mercurial  Pneumatic  Device  (See  Cunningham,  George). 

Mercury,  Inclined  Glass  Tube  and  Ball 68 

Momentum,  Defined,  Explained  and  Distinguished  from 

Energy 201 

Momentum    and    Energy,   Account    and    Explanation    of 

Perpetual  Motion  Devices  by  Means  of 205 

Momentum  and  Energy,  Distinguished  and  Considered; 
Attempted  Devices  for  Perpetual  Motion  by  Means 

of  (See  Table  of  Contents) 5 

Munro,  R.,  Comments  on  Mackintosh's  Experiment 169 

Newcomb,  Simeon,  Notice  of 15 

Newton,  Sir  Isaac,  Mention  of 135,  220 

Letter  to  from  Prof,  's  Gravesande 236 


INDEX  365 

Page 
Nicholson,  William,  Notice  of,  315;  His  Article  Against 

the  Possibility  of  Perpetual  Motion 316 

Orchard's  Vacuum  Engine 137 

Orffyreus,  Jean  Ernest  Eli  Bessler  (Councillor),  His  Per- 
petual Motion  Labors  (See  Table  of  Contents),  5; 
Remarks  of  Author  Concerning  Claims  of 252 

Papin,    Dr.,    Argument    by    Against    the    Possibility    of 

Perpetual  Motion 275 

Pasley,  T.  H.,  Article  by 347 

"Pamphleteer,   The,"  Article   Published   in 349 

Paradox,    Hydrostatical 118 

Patents,  U.  S.  (See  U.  S.  Patents) ;  Patents,  British  (See 

British  Patents). 
"Peasant  Boy  Philosopher"  (See  Ferguson,  James). 

Pendulum,  Gallileo's  Experment  with 268 

Perpetual  Motion  Defined 11 

Perpetual  Pump  109 

Perpetual  Motion,  Its  Possibility  Considered  with  Ref- 
erence to  Conservation  of  Energy 269 

Perpetual  Motion,   Consideration  of  Its  Possibility 270 

Arguments  Against  Its  Possibility — Article  by  Dr. 
Papin,  275;  Article  by  Rev.  John  Wilkins,  281;  Ar- 
ticle Based  on  Paradoxical  Hydrostatical  Balance, 
.  305;  Article  by  P.  Gregorio  Fontana,  306;  Article 
by  William  Nicholson,  316;  Article  Published  in 
"The  Artisan,"  329;  Article  Published  in  "Me- 
chanic's Magazine,"  278. 

Arguments    Maintaining    Its    Possibility — Scriptural 

Arguments,   335;   Article   by  John   Bernoulli,   336; 

Article   by    P.    Christopher   Scheiner,   342;   Article 

by  T.   H.  Pasley,  347;  Article  Published  in  "The 

Pamphleteer,"  349;  Article  by  J.  Welch,  351;  Article 

t  Published  in  "Mechanic's  Magazine,"  353. 

Physical  Affinity  and  Capillary  Attraction,  as  a  Means  of 

Perpetual  Motion  (See  Table  of  Contents) 5 

Pickering,  Peter,  His  "Atmospheric  Engine" 120 

Pneumatic  Devices  (See  Table  of  Contents) 5 

Preface 7 

Proposition  on  the  Balance  (See  Desagulier,  Rev.  J.  T.) 

Radium  and  Radio-Active  Substances  as  a  Means  of  Per- 
petual Motion  (See  Table  of  Contents) 5 

Rayleigh,  Lord,  His  Radium  Clock,  Notice  of 197,  199 

Rangley's  Patent  Roller  Pump,  Adaptation  of 97 

Rathen  and  Ellis's  Device 129 

Rationis,  Ed.  Vocis  (See  "Ed.  Vocis  Rationis"). 
Rolling  Weights  and  Inclined  Planes  as  a  Means  of  Per- 
petual Motion  (See  Table  of  Contents) 5 


366  INDEX 

Page 

Scheiner,  P.  Christopher,  Notice  of;  Argument  by  Sup- 
porting Possibility  of  Perpetual  Motion 342 

Schirrmeister,   Charles,   His   "Mechanical   Movement"...     38 
Schott,  Caspar,  Mention  of  in  Connection  with  Perpetual 

Motion    172,  173 

Scriptural  Argument 335 

Self-Motive    Power   Defined 11 

Semi-Circle,   Magnetic    172 

Siphon  Device  for  Perpetual  Motion  (See  Table  of  Con- 
tents). 

Sims,  John,  His  Perpetual  Motion  Problem 106 

Sinclair,  Prof.  George,  His  Pneumatic  Device 124 

Siphon,   Eaton's    Perpetual 145 

Siphon   and   Funnel    Device 135 

Sleigh,  Burrowes,  Willcocks  Arthur,  His  Perpetual  Mo- 
tion   Labors    Ill 

Sleigh,  William  Willcocks,  His  Perpetual  Motion  Labors  110 
Sommerset,  Edward  (Marquis  of  Worcester)   (See  Table 

of  Contents)    5 

Spence,  John,  Notice  of;  His  Magnetic  Device 170 

Stansel,  P.  Valentine,  Device  of 95 

Strutt,  Hon.  R.  J.  (See  Rayleigh). 

Stuckey,  William  Henry,  His  "Pneumatic   Engine" 121 

Theisneri,  Joannis,  His  Magnetic  Semi-Circle 172 

Trough,  Oscillating  and  Cannon  Balls 71 

U.  S:  Patents   36,  38,     76 

Vacuum   Engine,   Orchard's    137 

Vallance,  Dixon,  His  Device 34 

Varley,  Richard,  His  "New  Perpetual  Moving  Power"..  132 
Vinci,   Leonardo  da,   Notice  of,   27;   His   Perpetual   Mo- 
tion  Labors    29,  32 

"Voice  of  Reason,"  Device  by  Author  of 88 

Vogel,  A.  F.,  His  "Hydrostatic  General  Mobile": 96 

Water  Blowing  Machine 147 

Water- Wheel    Driven    Pump 97 

Welch,  J.,  Article  by 351 

Wheel,  Magnetic  Driven  (See  Magnetic-Driven  Wheel). 
Wheels  and  Weights  Devices  (See  Table  of  Contents) ...       5 
Wilckens    (See   Ludeke  and  Wilckens). 
Wilkins,    Rev.   John,    Argument    Denying   Possibility    of 

Perpetual  Motion 281 

Worcester,  Marquis  of  (Edward  Sommerset)   (See  Som- 
merset). 

X-Ray  Machine,  Notice  of 16 

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